How and why did the French Revolution affect Ireland
The French Revolution had an overwhelming affect on Ireland. The similar situations in the two countries meant that the French Revolution had real relevance for Irish society, as it provided an example of how to overthrow a tyrannical regime and helped break the sectarian deadlock which had disabled the reform movement of the 1780's, as Presbyterians were encouraged by the actions of the French Catholics to embrace the Catholics of Ireland. The Irish Catholics, due to the restrictions imposed by the Penal Code, accepted the principles expressed in France, as did the Presbyterian community for both pragmatic and ideological reasons. The politicization and radicalization of the Irish Catholics, under the Catholic Committee caused the Irish government to further adopt suppressive methods to deal with this 'revolutionary force'. The French Revolution helped spark the rebirth of the Irish reformist movement, expressed through the radical United Irishmen, who helped develop a Catholic-Presbyterian alliance and the beginnings of an Irish separatist movement, again serving to increase the intransigence of the Ascendancy, as war with revolutionary France broke out in 1793. Ireland was a fertile ground for revolutionary principles
Even when Catholic Relief did make it through the Irish Commons, it met with fierce opposition from conservative elements who accused the Catholic Committee of being 'men of very low parentage', further acting to radicalize the Committee. The Catholic Committee began a period of revival under this new leadership and its radicalization was soon apparent as it began to demand rights rather than exhaust the roads of supplication, a fact made evident in the pamphlet produced on 21st October by the Catholic Society in Dublin, which called for the repeal of the Penal Code as a 'matter of right'. The Ascendancy feared that they would lose their political and economic control in Ireland, and possibly their connections with England and privileges guaranteed by membership of the established church. The United Irishmen, a society whose establishment had much to do with the emergence of the French Republic, set about politicizing the people of Ireland circulating pro-revolutionary propaganda and the works of writers such as Paine and John Locke. The establishment of this effective body was proof of the effects of the French Revolution:"The French Revolution had a most invigorating effect on. According to Hussey, as a result of the French Revolution, the Irish Catholics would not:"Bear the lash of tyranny and oppression. "The French Revolution changed the rhetoric of Irish politics. The United Irish Society, which soon spread to the capital of Dublin, gave Protestant radicals and Presbyterians a stark choice, to either embrace the Catholic cause or abandon their aims of parliamentary representation. The elections involved mass participation by Catholics throughout Ireland, giving them a taste in the polity of Ireland. The writing by Tone, inspired by events in France, of 'An Argument on Behalf of the Catholics of Ireland' helped inspire many Protestants, especially Presbyterians, to believe that the Catholic religion was now dying out, shown by the treatment of the Catholic Church in France after the establishment of the French Republic, and that their inclusion in the parliamentary reform movement was necessary if they were to achieve their goal of a representative government. Their wide, inclusive representation, based on the French tenets explained their belief that, 'no reform can ever be obtained which shall not comprehensively embrace Irishmen of all denominations'. The Presbyterians, a group mostly concentrated in Ulster welcomed the French Revolution, as concepts of 'liberty, equality and fraternity' were in keeping with their habitual democratic instincts and their belief in the principles of the Enlightenment. "A window of opportunity was opened in Ireland by the impact of the French Revolution; that moment was brilliantly seized by the United Irishmen, who imaginatively created a vision of non-sectarian, democratic and inclusive politics" Whelan The United Irishmen themselves allied theirs with the cause of the Catholic community, establishing an alliance with the radicalized Catholic Committee and accepting Catholics such as Keogh, McCormick and McNeven into their ranks. In 1793 the franchise was extended to the Catholic community, but the significance of the Convention did not stop there, as a Convention Act was also passed to prevent the meeting of 'Back Lane Parliaments'.
Common topics in this essay:
French Revolution,
United Irishmen,
Catholic Committee,
Catholic Presbyterian,
Irish Republic,
Irish Catholics,
Penal Code,
Catholics Ireland,
Ireland Convention,
Smyth Public,
french revolution,
catholic community,
catholic committee,
united irishmen,
irish catholics,
penal code,
catholics ireland,
irish society,
parliamentary reform,
reform movement,
french revolution helped,
france broke 1793,
politicization radicalization irish,
rebirth irish reformist,
united irish society,
|
Acceptance Essays
