Britain's Problems in 1914

BRITAINS PROBLEMS IN 1914

Nothing gives us a cleargonr windowpane onto the state of Britain in the high summer of 1914 that the pages of Punch. The popular pickup reflects the contemporary view of affairs far better than inquiry by historians, however learned. Punchs content and its obsessions are immediate, and accurate.
Britains major concern in July 1914 was an outbreak of elegant war.
If the idea of a British civil war sounds ideational a century later, then Punchs publicise cartoon for 1 July 1914 makes the truth brutally clear. Ireland and the resolution of its problems were plectron the horizon with political storm clouds. Canada may have been give responsible self government (or Home Rule) in 1867 and Australia in 1901: but Ireland remained firmly under direct rein from Westminster.
There were three main reasons for this. First, the majority of Irish were Catholics and whence historically viewed by the English as second nominate citizens; second, there was a vociferous and decided minority of Protestants, mainly in Ulster, who had threatened to fight the Crown rather than relieve majority government from Dublin.



Last, whatever political concessions were granted by the British government, there was a tiny handful of Fenian fanatics who prefer political violence to any political settlement and demanded meat independence from England.
This explosive situation had caused a major complete crisis in 1913. In 1912 Asquiths Liberal Government had tabled a visiting card for Irish Home Rule. This provoked a baseless reaction from Ulsters predominantly Protestant population who were determined to remain in close union with England. The Unionists threatened to form their own Provisional Government in Belfast as soon as any Home Rule Bill became law. With their cry of Home Rule is Rome Rule, the Unionists formed the Ulster voluntary Force (UVF) in 1913, a well-organized and dis¬ciplined Protestant militia which by March 1914 was estimated to be...If you want to get a full essay, launch it on our website: Orderessay



If you want to get a full essay, wisit our page: write my essay .