Hello, my name is Mr. Williams and I'm going to be your history teacher today.

This lesson is part of a unit comparing decolonization across different parts of the British Empire.

I'm really looking forward to teaching you today, so let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how violent conflict in Ireland led to its partition in 1921, with the Irish Free State becoming an independent republic in 1949.

There are five keywords that are essential to understanding today's lesson.

They are unionist.

Before the partition of Ireland, a unionist was somebody who wanted all of Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom rather than becoming an independent country.

Nationalist, someone who strongly believes in and supports their own country, placing its interests above those of other nations.

Home Rule, the policy of Ireland having its own parliament and self-government while still remaining part of the United Kingdom.

Republican, somebody who wanted to establish an independent Irish republic free from British rule.

And finally, partition, to divide into parts.

Today's lesson will be split into three parts.

In this first part, we'll be learning about the divisions that existed in Ireland at the beginning of the 19th century and about the campaign for Home Rule.

Before we focus in on Ireland, let's start with a brief introduction to the British Empire and decolonization.

Decolonization refers to the process by which colonies of the British empire gradually achieved independence from Britain.

After World War II, the British Empire experienced significant decolonization.

This was because the war weakened Britain and inspired colonies to demand their own governments and independence.

However, the process of decolonization did not begin in 1945.

Resistance to British rule had been happening for a long time with many colonies fighting for independence before this period.

Let's turn our attention now to Ireland.

From the 12th century, starting with the Norman invasion in 1169, people from England and Scotland began settling in Ireland.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, they set up large settlements called plantations, which brought thousands of Protestant settlers from England and Scotland into Ireland.

This forced the local Catholic population out of their homes causing tension and conflict that lasted for centuries.

British rule, especially during Oliver Cromwell's brutal campaigns in 1649 to 1650, caused great suffering for the Irish people.

In 1800, the British government passed laws that joined Ireland with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The laws known as the Acts of Union, meant that Ireland was part of the United Kingdom rather than a colony of the British empire.

After 1800, Ireland was governed by British laws, participated in British trade policies, and was under the authority of the British monarchy.

The Acts of Union dissolved Ireland's own parliament, and meant Irish representatives were sent to the British Parliament in London.

Some Irish people welcomed closer ties with Britain.

These people were mostly Protestants, and they were known as unionists.

Many unionists were the descendants of the Protestant settlers who had moved to Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

They lived mainly in the northern part of Ireland, which was known as Ulster.

The majority of Irish people were nationalists.

Nationalists were mostly Catholic, and they wanted Ireland to have its own parliament.

Let's take a moment now to check your understanding.

The paragraph on the screen contains some errors and is incorrect.

I want you to identify and correct the errors in the paragraph.

So, pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the corrected version.

Okay, well done for your hard work on that task.

You are asked to identify and correct the mistakes in the paragraph, and the corrected paragraph should read as follows.

"Some Irish people known as unionists wanted closer ties with Britain.

These people were mostly Protestant and they lived in the north of Ireland.

Most Irish people were Catholic and they were nationalists.

Nationalists wanted Ireland to have its own parliament." Well done if you found and corrected all of those mistakes.

From the late 19th century, many Irish nationalists campaigned for Home Rule for Ireland.

Those who campaigned for Home Rule wanted self-government for Ireland within the UK.

Ireland would remain part of the UK, but a parliament would be established in the Irish capital, Dublin, to manage Irish domestic affairs.

Other nationalists known as Republicans called for full independence, and the severing of all ties with Britain.

In 1912, the British parliament voted to allow Irish Home Rule.

However, the outbreak of World War I in 1914 delayed its implementation.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

Which of the statements below represents the views of Irish Republicans in 1914? Is it A, Ireland should have Home Rule but remain part of the United Kingdom? Is it B, Ireland should have closer ties and be a part of the United Kingdom? Or is it C, Ireland should be completely independent and free from British rule? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

The correct answer is C, Irish Republicans believed Ireland should be completely independent and free from British rule.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's do another quick check of your understanding.

By 1914, Home Rule had not been implemented in Ireland.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that statement was true.

Let's see if you can justify why.

Pause the video, have a think about why the statement is true, and then press play when you're ready to see a model justification.

Okay to explain why the statement is true, you could have said, "In 1912 the British Parliament had voted to allow Home Rule for Ireland, but the outbreak of World War I in 1914 delayed its implementation." Well done if you came up with something similar.

You're now ready for the first practise task of today's lesson.

Sofia said, "By 1914, all Irish people supported Home Rule." This is incorrect.

I want you to briefly explain why Sofia's incorrect.

And in your answer you should use the following words, unionist, nationalist, and Republican.

Pause the video now, have a go at explaining why Sofia is incorrect, and then press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, well done For all your hard work on that first practise task.

You were asked to explain why Sofia was incorrect when she said that by 1914 all Irish people supported Home Rule.

And your answer may include, "Many Irish nationalists supported Home Rule, however, Republicans and unionists did not.

Unionists did not support Home Rule for Ireland because they wanted closer ties with the United Kingdom.

Republicans did not want Home Rule for Ireland because they wanted Ireland to be completely independent and did not want Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom." Well done if you wrote something similar in your response.

In this second part of the lesson, we're going to be learning about the Easter Rising.

A Republican uprising that took place in 1916.

This is one of the key turning points in the history of the British Empire in Ireland.

In this part of the lesson, we're going to be learning about the events of the uprising and its consequences.

At the beginning of World War I, over 200,000 Irish men including both Protestants and Catholics, volunteered to fight for Britain.

The war deepened divisions in Ireland.

Many Irish nationalists supported the British war efforts in the hope that loyalty and military service would strengthen their case for Home Rule.

In contrast, more extreme Republican nationalists rejected the idea of Home Rule and demanded full independence.

These Republicans opposed the war and saw it as an opportunity to break free from British rule.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

Irish people refuse to fight for Britain in the first World War.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was false.

But we need to see if we can justify why that statement's false.

So pause the video now, have a think about why the statement is false, and press play when you're ready to see a model justification.

You were asked to justify why the statement was false, and you could have said, "200,000 Irish men fought for Britain in the first World War, including Protestants and Catholics.

Some nationalists believed fighting for Britain would persuade the British government to allow Home Rule for Ireland." Well done if you came up with something similar.

On Easter Monday in 1916, the Easter Rising began when 16,000 men and women took control of the General Post Office and other important buildings in Dublin, and announced the establishment of an Irish Republic that was independent of Britain.

The British forces sent to crush the uprising, vastly outnumbered the Republican rebels.

They bombarded the occupied buildings with artillery fire until on the 29th of April, six days after the uprising had begun, the rebels were forced to surrender.

485 people had been killed.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

Those involved in the Easter Rising were fighting for Home Rule for Ireland.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that statement was false, but let's see if you can justify why.

Pause the video now, have a go at explaining why the statement's false, and then press play when you're ready to see a model justification.

Okay to explain why the statement's false, you could have said, "Those involved in the Easter Rising were Republicans.

They did not want Home Rule which would involve Ireland remaining in the United Kingdom.

They wanted complete independence for Ireland." Well done if you came out with something similar.

Many Irish people were angry that the rebels had chosen to act at a time when Irish men were fighting abroad.

As the rebels were rounded up and led away, local people jeered and spat on them.

However, public opinion was soon changed by the brutal response of the British government.

Four days after the uprising had ended, the British executed 14 of its leaders by firing squad.

One of the leaders, James Connolly, was so badly wounded during the Easter Rising.

He had to be strapped to a chair to be shot.

As news of the execution spread, it led to an increase in sympathy and support for the Republican cause.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

Easter Rising led to an increase in support for the Republican movement.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that that was true, but let's see if you're able to justify that response.

So, pause the video now, have a go at explaining why the statement is true, and then press play when you're ready to see a model justification.

Okay, to explain why the statement is true, you could have said, "Most Irish people had not supported the Easter Rising when it began.

However, the British government's decision to execute the leaders of the uprising, led to an increase in support for the Republican movement." Well done if you came up with something similar.

World War I ended in November 1918.

In the General Election of December 1918, the Irish Republican party, Sinn Fein, won a landslide victory in Ireland securing 73 of the 105 seats available.

Sinn Fein had a campaign for Irish independence, and their members of parliament refused to take up their seats in the British Parliament.

Instead, they established an independent parliament in Dublin, known as Dail Eireann.

On the 21st of January 1919, Dail Eireann declared independence from Britain and announced the establishment of an Irish Republic.

Eamon de Valera, a prominent Sinn Fein leader, was elected the first president of the Irish Republic.

Another leading figure in Sinn Fein, Michael Collins, established the Irish Republican Army or IRA, a force of volunteers willing to fight for the New Republic.

The IRA wanted to drive the British out of Ireland, and they began attacking police and British troops killing two policemen on the day that independence was announced.

This began what some have called, the Irish War of Independence.

Let's check your understanding.

The paragraph on the screen is incorrect.

I want you to identify and correct the mistakes.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the corrected paragraph.

Okay, well done for your hard work on that.

You were asked to identify and correct the mistakes, and the corrected paragraph should read as follows.

"In the General Election of December 1918, Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican party, won a landslide victory.

Sinn Fein supported Irish independence, and their MPs refused to take up their seats in the British Parliament.

Instead, they established their own parliament in Dublin, known as Dail Eireann, and announced the establishment of an Irish Republic.

Eamon de Valera became the first president of the Irish Republic." Well done if you identified and corrected all of those mistakes.

Let's do another quick check of your understanding.

Who set up and led the Irish Republican Army or IRA? Was it A, James Connolly, B, Eamon de Valera, or C, Michael Collins? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, the correct answer is C, Michael Collins.

Well done if you got that correct.

Under the leadership of Michael Collins, the IRA carried out ambushes, raids, and attacks on British forces, barracks, and infrastructure.

Collins set up IRA murder squads to kill British government officials, Irish policemen, and anyone suspected of supporting the British.

The British government was determined to end IRA violence and take back control of Ireland.

To fight the IRA, they recruited 8,000 ex-soldiers known as the Black and Tans, after the uniform they wore.

The Black and Tans soon showed that they were capable of matching the ruthlessness of the IRA and they quickly developed a reputation for brutality and indiscriminate violence.

The fighting was bloody and both sides committed atrocities.

On the 21st of November, a day that has become known as Bloody Sunday, Collins sent IRA murder squads to kill 14 British government agents.

In response, the Black and Tans fired into a crowd of about 8,000 spectators at a Gaelic football match, killing 12 civilians and wounding 60 more.

The brutality of the Black and Tans led to a surge in support for the Republican cause.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

What tactics did the Irish Republican Army use during the Irish War of Independence? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

So you were asked what tactics did the Irish Republican Army use during the Irish War of Independence, and your answer may include, "The IRA carried out ambushes, raids, and attacks on British forces, barracks, and infrastructure.

In addition, IRA murder squads killed British government officials, Irish policemen, and anyone suspected of supporting the British." Well done if you wrote something similar.

Let's do another quick check.

Who were the Black and Tans? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, you were asked who the Black and Tans were, and your answer may include, "The Black and Tans were ex-soldiers recruited by the British government to fight the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence.

They were nicknamed the Black and Tans because of the uniform they wore.

They matched the ruthlessness of the IRA, and soon developed a reputation for brutality." Well done if you wrote something similar.

Let's do one final quick check of your understanding.

I want you to read Andeep's judgement about the actions of the IRA and the Black and Tans during the Irish War of Independence.

He said, "The IRA and the Black and Tans were both responsible for atrocities." I want you to identify examples he could use to support this judgement.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, to support Andeep's judgement that the IRA and the Black and Tans were both responsible for atrocities during the Irish War of Independence, you could have written, "On Bloody Sunday, IRA murder squads killed 14 British government agents and the Black and Tans responded by firing into a crowd of about 8,000 spectators at a Gaelic football match, killing 12 civilians and wounding 60 more." Well done if you came up with something similar.

You're now ready for the second practise task of today's lesson.

And what I want you to do is this.

The events on the screen are in the incorrect order, and I want you to rearrange them so that they're in the correct chronological order.

Pause the video now, have a go at putting the events in the correct order, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that second practise task.

You were asked to place the events in the correct chronological order, which is as follows.

200,000 Irish men volunteered to fight for Britain in World War I.

Irish Republicans launched the Easter Rising in an unsuccessful attempt to break free from British rule.

The British government executed the leaders of the Easter Rising.

Sinn Fein then won a huge victory in the November 1918 General Election.

After this, Sinn Fein established the Dail Eireann.

The Dail Eireann declared that Ireland is independent from Britain, and then the Irish War of Independence began.

Well done if you managed to put those events in the correct chronological order.

We're now ready to move on to the third and final part of today's lesson, in which we'll be learning about the partition of Ireland and what came afterwards.

Late in 1920, the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, attempted to end the violence by proposing the partition of Ireland.

Unionists in the north of Ireland, which was predominantly Protestant, had a post Home Rule because they feared that a single Irish parliament would be dominated by Catholic nationalists that would treat the north unfairly.

Therefore, Lloyd George proposed that the six northern counties with the largest Protestant populations would be separated from the rest of the country.

The north would have its own parliament in Belfast, and the south would have its own parliament in Dublin.

Let's check your understanding.

Lloyd George proposed the partition of Ireland dividing it into North and South.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was true, but we need to be able to say why.

So pause the video now, have a go at explaining why the statement is true, and then press play when you're ready to see a model justification.

Okay, to explain why that statement's true, you could have said, "Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister, proposed that Ireland should be partitioned by separating the six northern counties with the largest Protestant populations from the rest of Ireland." Well done if he came up with something similar.

Initially, Sinn Fein rejected Lloyd George's plan for partition because they wanted complete independence for the whole of Ireland.

However, by July 1921, they had accepted that they could not win the war, and Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins went to London as representatives of Sinn Fein to negotiate with Lloyd George.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in December 1921, which ended the Irish War of Independence and confirmed the partition of Ireland.

As part of the treaty, Northern Ireland was given its own parliament, but remained part of the UK, while the rest of Ireland became the Irish Free State.

The Irish Free State remained part of the British Empire, but it became self-governing, and it had its own parliament and its own army.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

The paragraph on the screen contains some errors and is incorrect.

I want you to identify and correct the mistakes.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the corrected paragraph.

Okay, well done for your efforts on that task.

You are asked to identify and correct the mistakes in the paragraph.

And the corrected paragraph should read, "The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in December 1921.

The treaty confirmed the partition of Ireland.

Northern Ireland was given its own parliament but remained part of the UK.

The rest of Ireland became the Irish Free State.

The Irish Free State remained part of the British Empire, but it became self-governing, and it had its own parliament and army." Well done if you found and corrected all of those mistakes.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was controversial and opposed by many Irish Republicans.

Three months after it had been signed, a bitter civil war broke out in Ireland between pro-treaty Republicans led by Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, and those who oppose the treaty, led by Eamon de Valera.

On the 22nd of August 1922, Michael Collins was killed in an IRA ambush by men he had once led.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

True or false? All Irish Republicans supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was false, but you need to be able to explain why.

So pause the video now, have a go at explaining why the statement's false, and press play when you're ready to see a model justification.

Okay, to explain why the statement is false, you could have said, "The Anglo-Irish Treaty was opposed by some Republicans.

After it was signed, a civil war started between pro-treaty Republicans and anti-treaty Republicans." Well done if you came up with something similar.

Let's do another quick check of your understanding.

Which Republican leader was killed in an IRA ambush in August 1922? Was it A, Arthur Griffith, B, Eamon de Valera, or C, Michael Collins? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, the correct answer is C, Michael Collins.

Well done if you've got that correct.

The civil war ended in May 1923, and Republicans in the Irish Free State continued to work to achieve full independence.

Eventually, in 1949, Ireland was declared a Republic, and the Irish Free States became the Republic of Ireland with complete independence from Britain and the British Empire.

Let's do a very quick check of your understanding.

In what year is the Republic of Ireland established? Was it A, 1945, B, 1947, C, 1949, or D, 1951? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

The correct answer is C, the Republic of Ireland was established in 1949.

Well done if you've got that correct.

You're now ready to move on to the third and final practise task of today's lesson.

And for this final practise task, I want you to write a brief narrative about the events between 1921 and 1949 that led to the establishment of the Republic of Ireland.

You should use the following words in your narrative, partition, Anglo-Irish Treaty, Irish Free State, civil war, and independence.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Well done for all of your hard work on that final practise task.

You were asked to write a narrative about the events between 1921 and 1949 that led to the establishment of the Republic of Ireland.

And your answer may include, "In 1920, Lloyd George proposed the partition of Ireland.

Irish Republicans initially rejected the plan.

However, in December 1921, Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which confirmed the partition of Ireland between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State.

After the treaty was signed, there was a civil war between pro-treaty Republicans and anti-treaty Republicans.

The civil war ended in May 1923, and Irish Republicans continued to work towards full independence for Ireland.

Eventually in 1949, the Republic of Ireland was established.

Well done for all of your hard work on that final practise task.

And well done if you wrote something similar to the model answer that we've just gone through.

We're at the end of our lesson now, so it's a good opportunity for us to go through our key learning points.

At the start of the 20th century, Irish nationalists campaigned for Home Rule for Ireland.

When World War I delayed the implementation of Home Rule, Irish Republican staged a rebellion against British rule in 1916.

After the British violently crushed the Easter Rising, war broke out between the IRA and the British Black and Tans.

In 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty partitioned Ireland into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State, leading to a civil war between pro-treaty Republicans and anti-treaty Republicans.

In 1949, the Irish Free State became the Republic of Ireland, completely independent from the United Kingdom.

Well done for all of your hard work in today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to teach you.

I hope you've enjoyed the lesson, and I look forward to teaching you again soon.