Ireland as the Fastest Growing Economy in the European Union - Research Paper Example

The insistence on freedom gave way to the bloodiest episode of Ireland’s history in the 17th century, and wherein there were two civil wars and the War of the three kingdoms. This was the time that England attained its status as a Republic. The established dislike of the Irish to the British was aggravated by the government’s effort to bring down the Irish economy. The dislike was further intensified by the famine that killed 400,000 people and an Irish rebellion in 1798. This rebellion led to the suppression of the Irish self-government.

After the rebellion in 1800, the British and the Irish Parliament set out to establish a Union that merged the Kingdom of Ireland with Great Britain and Scotland, known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.In 1870, because of pressure from the people, the UK Parliament finally granted Ireland the Third Home Rule Act that established self-government for Ireland. However, people’s desire for independence continued until after World War I. Called Easter Rising, an insurrection in Dublin, militant Irish republicans attempted a break away from British control.

Since this was only coming from a small group, it lasted only six days. However, this uprising gained political support that headed to a political movement and the eventual creation of the Republic Parliament in 1919. (See Annex 2). The quest for freedom did not stop from 1919 to 1921. The Irish Republican Army, formed by the military forces of the Republican Parliament, continued to conduct a guerilla war against Britain. Finally, in 1920, the Government of Ireland Act was implemented, dividing the island into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.

Independence was gained by the Irish in 1937, and a Free Irish State was established. Wherein it became a self-governing dominion of the British Empire along the lines of Australia and Canada. An Anglo Treaty was signed by both governments when Northern Ireland chose to remain with the British Empire. In 1937, a constitution was drafted that changed the name of Northern Ireland to Ireland or Eire.