Changes In North-South Irish Relations and The Determination of Borders in The Early 1920s

After the promulgation of the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the island of Ireland entered a de facto north-south division phase, and the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921 marked the establishment of an Irish Free State centred in Dublin. In the early days, the Free State adopted a peace policy towards Northern Ireland, hoping that the national forces of Northern Ireland would join the Free State peacefully and achieve reunification; With the intensification of political contradictions and internal differences, the Free State turned to be tough on Northern Ireland and even made a military offensive plan. However, affected by the outbreak of civil war, the British intervention, and other events, the Free State was finally forced to return to the Anglo-Irish Treaty to delimit the north-south border. The separation of Northern Ireland was eventually recognized by the Free State.