Home Rule: Origins of the Home Rule Movement

Origins of the Home Rule Movement

A basic theme in the history of Ireland through the centuries of English dominance was the desire for control over its domestic affairs. The modern Home Rule movement began in 1870 under the leadership of Isaac Butt, whose program appealed most strongly to the Irish middle classes. The long agricultural depression beginning in 1873 increased economic stimulus for Home Rule, and under the leadership of Charles Stewart Parnell the movement gained support from the agricultural laborers and erstwhile members of the Fenian movement. In this period only a minority had recourse to violence, and Parnell disavowed the murder of two British officials in Dublin in 1882 (see Phoenix Park murders).

Sections in this article:

Introduction
Home Rule in Contemporary Northern Ireland
The Irish Free State and the Fourth Home Rule Bill
The Third Home Rule Bill
The Second Home Rule Bill
The First Home Rule Bill
Origins of the Home Rule Movement
Bibliography

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