CCEA A-Level History 4010
England 1509–58AS Unit 1
England 1603–49AS Unit 1
Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80AS Unit 1
Italy and Germany 1815–71AS Unit 1
Germany 1919–45AS Unit 1
Spain and Europe 1556–98AS Unit 2
The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714AS Unit 2
Ireland 1823–67AS Unit 2
France 1815–70AS Unit 2
Russia 1914–41AS Unit 2
Italy's Quest for Great Power Status 1871–1943AS Unit 2
Crown and Parliament in England 1625–1714A2 Unit 1
Ireland Under the Union 1800–1900A2 Unit 1
The Causes and Consequences of Great Power Conflict 1848–1945A2 Unit 1
The American Presidency 1901–2000A2 Unit 1
Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900–2000A2 Unit 1
England 1558–1603A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1685–1714A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1778–1803A2 Unit 2
Partition of Ireland 1900–25A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1778–1803
The making of the Act of Union
- 3 things to know
- A2 Unit 2
Overview
Castlereagh's part in the Union and main terms of the Act of Union.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
When did the Union pass and take effect?
State the main terms of the Act of Union.
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Why did the rebellion of 1798 convince Pitt that a union was necessary?
Model answer
The rising had shown that Ireland could not be held safely by its own parliament and ascendancy, and that a hostile France would always be able to use Ireland as a back door into the United Kingdom.
- 2
What constitutional weakness of the 1782 settlement did British ministers point to?
Model answer
Two independent parliaments under one crown could take opposite decisions, as the Regency Crisis of 1789 had shown, and nothing obliged the Irish Parliament to follow British policy in war or in trade.
- 3
How did the Catholic question form part of Pitt's case for union?
Model answer
Pitt believed that Catholic Emancipation was necessary but would never be granted by a Protestant Irish Parliament, whereas in a united kingdom Catholics would be a minority of roughly a fifth and could be admitted without danger.
- 4
What part did Pitt himself play in the Union?
Model answer
Pitt conceived the measure as the answer to the Irish problem, drove it forward from London, carried it through the British Parliament, and staked his own ministry on the Catholic relief he intended to accompany it.
- 5
Who was appointed Lord Lieutenant in 1798, and with what policy?
Model answer
Marquis Cornwallis was appointed Lord Lieutenant and commander-in-chief in June 1798, with a policy of conciliating the defeated rebels, restraining loyalist reprisals and carrying the Union.
- 6
What was Castlereagh's part in the Union?
Model answer
Viscount Castlereagh, as Chief Secretary, managed the measure through the Irish House of Commons, bargaining with borough patrons and office-holders to build a majority for it.
Other ways to work this
The same content, four other ways.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Every question in Ireland 1778–1803, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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