Popular Politics and the Making of the Wyndham Land Act, 1900–1903

George Wyndham was firmly committed to introducing a substantial reform of the land question when he became Chief Secretary in November 1900. Although Wyndham had, by the spring of 1902, devised a sophisticated Irish policy, the Lord Lieutenant succeeded in implementing a policy in 1902 which was little more than a hand-to-mouth strategy: the proclamation of sixteen Irish counties and four county boroughs under the Crimes Act. Wyndham's failure to introduce a substantial Land Bill during the crisis of March 1902 was a direct result of cabinet opposition, and, particularly, that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The United Irish League's agitation of 1901-2 played a fundamental role in transforming the views of the cabinet and the Irish Office on Wyndham's proposed land legislation.

Political science · Politics · Cultural History and Identity Formation · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US