|
|
|
|
|
Nationalist Party (Ireland)The Nationalist Party existed under various froms from 1874 to 1968. It was founded under Isaac Butt as the Home Rule League. After the death of Butt the party sooon divided into radicals led by Charles Stewart Parnell and Whiggish members under William Shaw. Shaw became leader for a year 1879-1880, but was defeated by Parnell the next year. The Whiggish members all lost their seats in 1885. The party was reformed by Parnell as the Irish Parliamentary Party in 1882. The party split in 1891 over the leadership of Parnell. He had been named by party member William O'Shea as the cause for his divorce with his wife Catherine. When the Liberal Party leader William Ewart Gladstone stated that he couldn't work with the party under the circumstances the majority of the party called for his resignation early in 1891. He died that year from pneumonia after fighting three tough bye-elections, all of which he lost. This further split the party, with the Parnellite wing, led by John Redmond, blaming the Anti-Parnellites for his death. The party remained split until 1900, when Redmond became leader, with John Dillon, then leader of the Anti-Parnellites, as his deputy. Throughout the period 1900-1910 Tim Healy and William O'Brien lead breakaway factions, but never achieved more than eight seats, and they usually sat and voted with the rest of the party. It seemed that they might achieve their aim of Home Rule in 1910 when the Liberal government of Herbert Henry Asquith depended on them to stay in power. In exchange for voting for the Parliament Act, they were promised a Home Rule Bill, which they got in 1912. Under the new provisions the House of Lords could only delay bills for two years, so they expected to get it in 1914. However, militant unionist resistance in Ulster had risen in those years, and with the outbreak of the First World War, a provision was added that the bill wouldn't be eneacted until after the war, and until a provision was made for Ulster. However, by the time the war had ended the party had lost support. With the Easter Rising of 1916, and its failure to react with speed to the proposal to extend conscription to Ireland, it lost support to the more radical Sinn Fin. In the election of 1918 its seats fell from 73 to 6. It disappeared in what was to become the Irish Free State, with some of its members joining the Centre Party, founded by John Dillon's son, James, which amalgamtated with Cumann na nGaedheal to form Fine Gael in 1933. It continued in the north, but disbanded in the late 1960s, with many of its members later joining the Social Democratic and Labour Party, founded in 1970. Leaders
|
 |
|
| Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved |
|
|