British reactions to Amritsar and Croke Park : Connections and comparisons

This thesis explores British reactions to the Amritsar Massacre 1919 and the Croke Park Massacre 1920. It centres on the British Government’s response to these massacres, and the perspectives of two opposed political groups: the British and Irish Unionists, and the Labour Party. Connections and comparisons are drawn between the Government response to both cases and the official representations of the events. Right-wing criticism of the Government's management of the Amritsar crisis is discussed. How the right-wing response connected to the Croke Park Massacre is evaluated. Notions of 'Britishness' and how these were used to bolster the arguments presented by the Government and the right wing are also considered. The right-wing defence of Amritsar is contrasted with the reaction of the Labour Party. This thesis demonstrates how Labour objected to both massacres and challenged the official portrayals of the shootings. The Labour Party's support for Indian and Irish nationalists and preferred approach to imperial rule in India and Ireland in 1920 is illustrated. The reactions of the right wing and the Labour Party are continuously juxtaposed with the official responses. How British reactions to the Amritsar Massacre and the Croke Park Massacre were connected by the overriding context of 'imperial crisis' is highlighted throughout. This thesis contributes to existing comparative and connected studies on India, Ireland and imperial violence in the interwar period, as well as general studies on the Amritsar Massacre and the Croke Park Massacre. It draws attention to similarities, differences, and connections between both cases, which are absent from existing historiography. This thesis employs several primary sources that have been under-utilised by historians, and gives sufficient focus to the left-wing response which has previously received limited scholarly attention.