Lecture 18
Northern Ireland 1918-1945: The
Establishment and Consolidation of
the State
1. The Creation of Northern Ireland
2. Northern Ireland : Consolidation
of the State
3. Security policy
4. Electoral Arrangements
5. Education
6. Economic development
7. Wartime Northern Ireland, 19391945
The 6 county state of Northern Ireland came
into being as a devolved political entity under
the terms of the Government of Ireland Act,
1920
It was later superseded as the basis for
relations between Dublin and London with the
signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty. Its
provisions for Northern Ireland remained.
The Government of Ireland Act
(1920)
Offered two Home Rule parliaments: one
parliament for the 6 counties and another for
the 26 counties
It made provision for ultimate Irish unity
Only local powers were granted
Ultimate power remained in London
Northern Nationalists
Partition left northern nationalists a minority in
the six county area
They became a minority subject to their
unionist opponents
From the northern nationalist point of view
temporary partition with direct rule from
London would have been bad
Partition with local institutions dominated by
unionists was the worst of all settlements
Lord Craigavon at Stormont with John
Andrews
Sir James Craig at the opening of the
Northern Ireland Parliament, 1922
The Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Northern Parliament: Senate and a House of
Commons
A Governor for Northern Ireland appointed in 1922
The governor could summon, prorogue and dissolve
parliament
Governor: power to give or withhold the royal assent
to bills
Senate: modest powers to amend legislation
Senate: 2 ex-officio members, mayors of Belfast and
Londonderry
& 24 elected members
House of Commons: 52 members elected for 5
years by PR, including 4 representatives from Queen’s
University Belfast
‘It was at least in part because of the
Boundary Commission, delayed in its
operation by the civil war in the south,
by political instability in Britain and by
non-cooperation in Belfast that the
first four crucial years of NI were so
divided, with Protestant determination
moulding its every institution and
Catholic aloofness refusing every
opportunity to contribute.’
Harkness, Northern Ireland Since 1920 p36
Transfer of policing powers
• Met with renewed nationalist activity
and unionist militancy
• Resulted in 27 deaths and 92 injuries
in Northern Ireland between 19 and
15 November 1921
• Clashes in December brought the
death toll to 100 that year
• Surge in recruitment to the UVF
Special Constabulary for Northern
Ireland
• Three categories
• ‘A’ – full-time and paid
• ‘B’ – part-time with an allowance
• ‘C’ – an unpaid reserve
The Civil Authorities (Special
Powers) Act 1922
• Introduced on 15 March 1922
• Introduced draconian emergency powers to
search, arrest and detain without warrant,
impose stiff penalties and indeed to
suspend civil liberties when deemed
necessary.
• Initially passed for one year only, it was
renewed annually until 1928, was renewed
in that year for five years and in 1933
became permanent, until its abolition in
1972.
Local Government (Emergency
Powers) Act
• Introduced to the Northern
parliament on 2 December 1921
• Enabled the government to dissolve
any local council which withheld
recognition and co-operation and to
replace it with a government
appointed commissioner
Electoral Arrangements
• Proportional Representation was abolished
by legislation on 11 Sept 1922
• It imposed a declaration of allegiance upon
members and officials of local authorities
• Enabled the reversion to old electoral areas
and in some cases the redrawing of new,
local electoral areas
• Meant that unionists would be able to
dominate local government
• The number of nationalist controlled
councils achieved in 1920 were reduced by
half
Education Act (Northern Ireland)
1923
1. Wholly maintained schools completely paid
for by local education authorities
2. 4 and 2 schools to be managed by 4
representatives of the original owners and
two of the new authorities. To receive
teacher salaries, half running costs and
discretionary capital grants
3. Voluntary schools independent of local
education authorities’ control which were to
recive teacher salaries sometimes half
running costs from the rates but no capital
grants
Social Welfare
• National Health Insurance Act
(1922)
• Eight Unemployment Insurance Acts
(1922-25)
• Trade Boards Act (1923)
• Industrial Assurance Act (1924)
• Two Old Age Pension Acts (1925)
The aftermath of the Blitz, 1516 April 1941
The devastated aircraft factory at Harland and Wolff. This
area sustained huge damage in the raid of 7-8 April, 1941.