The Government of Ireland Act 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. 5 c. 67) was the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which partitioned Ireland. The Act's long title was "An Act to provide for the better government of Ireland"; it is also known as the Fourth Home Rule Bill or (less accurately) as the Fourth Home Rule Act.
The Act was intended to establish separate Home Rule institutions within two new subdivisions of Ireland: the six north-eastern counties were to form "Northern Ireland", while the larger part of the country was to form "Southern Ireland". Both areas of Ireland were to continue as a part of the United Kingdom, and provision was made for their future unification under common Home Rule institutions.
Home Rule never took effect in Southern Ireland due to the Irish War of Independence, which resulted instead in the establishment in 1922 of the Irish Free State. The institutions set up under the Act for Northern Ireland continued until their suspension by the British parliament in 1972 as a consequence of the Troubles.
The remaining provisions of the Act still in force in Northern Ireland were repealed under the terms of the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
Read more about Government Of Ireland Act 1920: Background, Long's Committee, Developments in Ireland, Two 'Home Rule' Irelands, Structures of The Governmental System, Potential For Irish Unity
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