Thread: Why is Ireland separated from the United Kingdom?

Why is Ireland separated from the United Kingdom?

Water?

They had a successful revolution in 1919, they took advantage of England's war weariness following the First World War and fought a successful guerrilla/terrorist campaign that lead to a quick truce. Why Ireland wanted to leave the UK is another question, and one would probably look to the bloody and oppressive English occupation in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the continuing oppressive, though less bloody, English rule up until the 20th century.

catholic vs protestant? I don't think it was a major cause but it got some people pretty worked up. I may be wrong about that though.

It has to be the English oppression...Oliver Cromwell and all that. But I think religous differences might have had something to do with it as well.

thats probably true-I heard some irish hate cromwell even today.

Meteorwayne succumbed to the temptation that I managed to resist. However it is not a frivolous response. While all the responses are true, isn't geographical separation the ultimate reason for political separation? There is an argument to be made that there are natural boundaries that form logical political units and since Ireland and Britain are separated by the Irish Sea, they have evolved (somewhat bloodily) to reach their own "manifest destinies".

The boundary between Northern Ireland and the Republic is a little harder to justify in geographical terms, as is the one between England and Scotland.

Yes, in the end (or rather, in the beginning), geography determined all cultural differences. The theory of environmental determinism says that all human culture and behavior is a result of geography, which certainly could apply here. One of the more common applications is to explain white, Western dominance throughout modern (-ish) history.

All humanity originated in Africa, we are told. From there, our descendants spread throughout the continents. The Africans did not develop advanced civilization due to their geographic circumstance (few domesticated animals, on a north-south axis, etc.). On the other hand, Europeans benefited from the agricultural knowledge gained in the Fertile Crescent, and were therefore able to become farmers and advance out of the hunter-gatherer stage much faster than the Africans (I am not implying that this is simply a matter of Europeans over Africans-it's not. I am only trying to explain why European whites dominated the world for so long over "minorities" ).

I think you get my point-geography is a MAJOR part of determining the cultures and behavior of people, and why the world id the way it is today.

Haven't you heard? Liverpool is the capital of Ireland.

Irish do not drink water.

British brought dissenting Presbyterians to Ireland as part of "divide and conquer" imperial strategy, other examples are Tamils in Sri Lanka and West Indians and East Indians in Old Blighty itself. By giving different ethnic groups somebody to hate instead of real oppressor, friction is deflected and blame shifted. Very convenient and very successful strategy, therefore widely employed. During Raj, British played off Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus against each other masterfully, if expression can be excused. 8)

Originally Posted by The Finger Prince

other examples [of the divide and conquer strategy] are ....West Indians and East Indians in Old Blighty itself. By giving different ethnic groups somebody to hate instead of real oppressor, friction is deflected and blame shifted.

This is a pile of bull crap. Indians and West Indians immigrated in large numbers to Britain to drive the buses and trains, and do manual labor after WW2. There simply were not enough British workers to get the economy back on its feet.

I believe Ireland should rejoin the United Kingdom despite their shaky past together. They are both British. They used to be one or the greatest superpowers in the world.

Originally Posted by mmatt9876

I believe Ireland should rejoin the United Kingdom despite their shaky past together. They are both British. They used to be one or the greatest superpowers in the world.

Ireland didn't benefit much from the spoils of that superpower status.

Originally Posted by mmatt9876

They are both British.

Not by any usual definition of British.