The spread of radical revolutionary ideas from France to Ireland
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how the French Revolution inspired rebellion in Ireland.
Key learning points
- Ireland was a religiously divided country where a minority Anglican elite ruled over a majority Catholic population.
- The French Revolution inspired the 'United Irishmen' to try and unite Protestants and Catholics against British rule.
- United Irishmen leader Wolf Tone met with Napoleon to win support for an Irish Rebellion against Great Britain.
- The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ultimately failed despite France's promised support.
- The failed Irish Rebellion led to increased British control over Ireland and ultimately to formal unification in 1801.
Keywords
Sectarian - a sectarian society is one that is divided along religious and political lines
Catholic - a Catholic is a Christian who belongs to Roman Catholic Church, whose spiritual leader is the Pope in Rome
Anglican - an Anglican (in this context) is a member of the Church of Ireland, which belongs to the Protestant denomination of Christianity
Elites - people regarded as belonging to the best or most powerful group in society are known as the elite
Denomination - each different type of Christianity is known as a denomination e.g. Catholicism, Protestantism, etc.
Common misconception
Revolutionary ideas failed to spread from France to other European countries.
Revolutionary ideas did spread to other European countries, but they did not cause any successful revolutions.
Teacher tip
Make sure students understand that France did try to offer military support on a number of occasions, but that they were prevented from landing in Ireland on a number of occasions. They did not just abandon Ireland after promising support.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the British political thinker to the pamphlet that they wrote.
Revolution in France
A Vindication of the Rights of Man
Rights of Man
Q2.In what year did the French people execute their king, Louis XVI?
Q3.Which of these laws were brought in by the British government due to discontent caused by the French Revolution?
Q4.Which group in French society broke away from the Estates-General and launched the French Revolution in 1789?
Q5.Was Edmund Burke for or against the spread of French revolutionary radical ideas?
Q6.Which of these British political thinkers wanted to encourage the spread of radical revolutionary ideas from France to Britain ?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.True or false? the French Revolution had no impact on Ireland.
Q2.Who was a founder and leader of the United Irishmen, the group that rebelled against British rule in Ireland?
Q3.Who did Wolfe Tone go to for help in rebelling against British rule in Ireland?
Q4.British cartoonists generally tried to portray the United Irishmen as ...
Q5.In what year did the Irish Rebellion take place?
Q6.Match these events with the year in which they occurred.
1801
1798
1789
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The spread of radical revolutionary ideas from France to Ireland, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The spread of radical revolutionary ideas from France to Ireland, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The French Revolution: How did Europe respond to the French Revolution? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.