How Did Parnell Put The Land Question Before Home Rule

Parnell was the more effective leader of the Home Rule movement in the period 1870-1886.

Isaac Butt founded the Home Government Association (HGA) on the 19th May 1870 at a meeting in Dublin. A diverse group of people joined the HGA as they shared Butt’s disinterest in Gladstone’s policies and wanted to control Ireland’s internal affairs, but have Great Britain remain in control of the external affairs. Protestants, catholics, constitutional nationalists, fenians and tenants joined the movement, however many protestants left due to the catholic nationalists. From the beginning, the HGA was a weak party because of the diversity of its members and the tension between them. Butt reconstituted the HGA as the Home Rule League (HRL) and in the same

Parnell was elected a Home Rule (HR) MP in 1875. He drew attention to the fenians and in 1877 took Butt’s place as leader of the Home Rule Confederation of Great Britain. Butt was becoming an increasingly weak leader and died in 1879 with William Shaw taking his place as leader. In 1879, Parnell decided to put the Land Question before Home Rule which gained a lot of support for the party. Parnell, along with Davitt and Devoy all believed that their groups should come together and work on the Land Question, this became known as the New Departure. The National Land League was founded in 1879 by Davitt and was to put an end to rack-renting, evictions and landlord oppression. Parnell won a significant moral victory for the land league after advising people to boycott.

“When a man takes a farm from which another has been evicted you must shun him on the roadside when you meet him, you must shun him in the streets of the town, you must shun him in the shop, you must shun him in the fairgreen and in the marketplace, and even in the place of worship, by leaving him alone, by putting him in a moral Coventry, by isolating him from the rest of his country as if he were the leper of old, you must show your detestation of the crime he has

Parnell pursued the ‘no rent’ manifesto from Kilmainham Gaol. He called on members of the Land League to refuse to pay rent until the prisoners were released. The British government retaliated by deeming the Land League illegal. While Parnell was in gaol, violence throughout Ireland increased, which he had previously warned. Gladstone needed Parnell’s help to restore peace in Ireland. Parnell and Gladstone came to an agreement in 1882, which became known as the Kilmainham Treaty. Under the treaty, Gladstone agreed to admit leaseholders to the benefit of the 1881 Land Act, assist tenants in arrears with their rents and admit them to the land courts and drop coercion and release Land League prisoners. Parnell promised to restore law and order throughout Ireland and co-operate with the Liberal Government in British