Highland Land League

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Highland Land League" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The first Highland Land League (Scottish Gaelic: Dionnasg an Fhearainn)^[1] emerged as a distinct political force in Scotland during the 1880s, with its power base in the country's Highlands and Islands. It was known also as the Highland Land Law Reform Association and the Crofters' Party. It was consciously modelled on the Irish Land League.

The Highland Land League was successful in getting Members of Parliament (MPs) elected in 1885 (in the 1885 general election). As a parliamentary force, it was dissipated by the Crofters' Act of 1886 and by the way the Liberal Party was seen to adopt Land League objectives. Similarly to its Irish predecessor, the Land League also used direct action tactics to resist both rackrenting and mass evictions by the Anglo-Scottish landlords of the Highlands and the use of the same tactics was to continue into 20th century. The Land League's tactics included rent strikes, boycotting, and land occupations by crofters, cottars and squatters. Perhaps the Land League's best known Gaelic slogan was "Is treasa tuath na tighearna", (lit. "The people are mightier than a lord." fig. "The whole Clan is mightier than the Chief.")