Irish Free State

The Irish Free State existed from December 1922 until December 1937. It was created after the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, which ended fighting between Irish forces and British troops during the Irish War of Independence. At first, it was a part of the British Commonwealth and covered 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland. The remaining six counties formed Northern Ireland, which chose not to join the new state.

The government was led by a president of the Executive Council, with W. T. Cosgrave as its first leader. The legislature was called the Oireachtas and included two houses.

In 1931, the Irish Free State gained more independence when the British Parliament passed a law giving it control over its own laws.

During its early years, there was a conflict called the Irish Civil War. After this conflict ended, new political groups formed, including Fianna Fáil. In 1937, a new constitution was created, and the Irish Free State became simply "Ireland."

Background

The Easter Rising of 1916 changed many people's views in Ireland. In the 1918 general election, the Sinn Féin party won most seats but instead of going to London, they created their own group called Dáil Éireann. They declared Ireland independent and began a fight called the War of Independence against British forces. This fighting stopped in July 1921, and talks began in London.

These talks led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty on December 6, 1921. The treaty created a new state called the Irish Free State. Leaders of the Irish Free State had to promise to support both the new government and the king of Britain.

The Irish Free State officially began on December 6, 1922. During this time, there were conflicts among Irish leaders about the treaty.

Governmental and constitutional structures

The Anglo-Irish Treaty made a new state that was a constitutional monarchy. The Governor-General of the Irish Free State stood for the king. The rules for how the state worked were in the Constitution of the Irish Free State. It had a parliament with three parts called the Oireachtas. This included the king and two groups: Dáil Éireann and the Seanad Éireann, or Irish Senate.

The king had power to make decisions, but the Governor-General acted for him. The Governor-General picked a group of leaders called the Executive Council to help. One leader, called the President of the Executive Council, led this group. In fact, the Executive Council had most of the power, because the Governor-General usually did what they said.

Representative of the Crown

Main article: Governor-General of the Irish Free State

The Governor-General took the place of the older job called Lord Lieutenant. Kings chose Governors-General, but at first they needed help from the British Government and approval from the Irish Government. From 1927 on, only the Irish Government could suggest who should be Governor-General.

Oath of Allegiance

People in the Irish Free State had to take an Oath of Allegiance. The oath had two parts. One part was a promise to support the Irish Free State. The other part was a promise to be loyal to King George V and his successors, but only for their work related to Ireland and the Treaty, not as rulers of the United Kingdom before 1922. Some people were unhappy about any mention of the Crown. This oath was important during a time of disagreement.

Irish Civil War

Main article: Irish Civil War

The agreement that created the Irish Free State caused a civil war from June 1922 to April 1923. The government that supported the agreement fought against those who did not. Éamon de Valera, a leader at the time, stepped down, which upset some of his followers. Arthur Griffith became the new leader, and Michael Collins was chosen to help run the new government. A big vote showed that most people supported the agreement. Sadly, during this time, some violent events happened.

"Freedom to achieve freedom"

Michael Collins called the treaty "the freedom to achieve freedom." It gave Ireland many powers of independence, including its own parliament, leaders, and laws. However, some rules from Britain stayed in place.

The Irish Free State used the British pound at first but later made its own coins and money. These new coins had the words "Saorstát Éireann" on them. Even with these changes, the country was still linked to Britain in some ways until it became fully independent.

Foreign policy

Ireland joined the League of Nations on 10 September 1923. The country sent its first team to the 1928 Summer Olympics and later to the 1932 Summer Olympics.

By 1932, Ireland had made progress toward having its own independent foreign policy. The Irish Free State became an important part of the European system and a member of the League of Nations. It set up diplomatic ties with many countries, including the United States, France, Belgium, Germany, and the Holy See. Ireland made its own political and trade agreements. The military became smaller during this time.

Demographics

Birth rate

In 1924, just after the Irish Free State was created, it had one of the lowest birth rates in the world. The Irish Free State had a birth rate of 18.6 per 1,000 people. Other places, like Ceylon, had much higher rates.

Cultural outlook

At this time, Irish society was strongly influenced by the Roman Catholic Church. Some Roman Catholic thinkers had strong views against certain ideas and groups. These views were shared by priests and are now seen as unfair or incorrect.

After the Free State

1937 Constitution

In 1937, the government made a new rule book for Ireland. The people voted for it on July 1, 1937. It replaced the old rule book from 1922 and started on December 29, 1937.

The new rule book called the country "Ireland" and made a new job called the President of Ireland. It said Ireland was one country but that its rules would not work in Northern Ireland. In 1998, the rule book was changed to say that Ireland should only become one peacefully and with most people's agreement.

The rule book also talked about religion, saying the Catholic Church and other churches were important in Ireland. This was changed in 1973. The new rule book wanted to make the government feel more Irish by using ideas from the Catholic Church.