The Easter Rising and its Political Consequences

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Table of  Contents  

1.  Introduction  3

2.  Events leading to the Easter Rising  4

3.  The Easter Rising in 1916  7

3.1.  Preparation and British Interference  7

3.2.  The Easter Rising and its Downfall  9

3.3.  Immediate Consequences and Reactions  12

4.  The Political Events after 1916 as a Result of the Easter Rising  15

4.1.  The rise of Sinn Fein  15

4.2.  The General Election in 1918 and its Consequences  16

4.3.  The Anglo-Irish War from 1919 1921  18

4.4.  The Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921  19

5.  Conclusion  20

6.  Appendix I  22

7.  Bibliography  23

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1. Introduction

The history of Ireland is a turbulent one full of mysterious customs, fiery battles and unwavering pride. Many events have given account to the repeated struggle of the Irish people against invasion and the loss of their freedom. Such an incident also took place in the year 1916. It was probably one of the most important occurrences in Irish history, and it shaped the future of the country for many years to come, all the way until the present time. The event in question is until today known as the Easter Rising.

On Easter Monday, the 24 April 1916, a siege was organized that lasted only for 5 days and ended in a massacre. However, the consequences of this comparatively small act of revolution were enormous. The Easter rising heavily influenced the political relations between Ireland and England during the years that followed, and was the foundation stone of Ireland’s militant fight for independence.

The aim of this paper will be to show that the Easter Rebellion of 1916 was the crucial event in the history of modern Ireland, and that it profoundly shaped political relations with England for many years afterwards. The first chapter will consist of a synopsis of the proceedings leading up to the rising, and the naming of possible reasons for the rebellion. Following will be a recount of the happenings on that fateful Easter Monday and the four days after, including the results of the upheaval and the subsequent reactions of the British government. Lastly it will be dealt with the consequences of the Easter rebellion, and how it influenced the political proceedings in the years following 1916.

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2. Events leading to the Easter Rising 1

In 1800, the relationship between Britain and Ireland gained a new dimension. The Act of Union bound both countries together as one, deepening political relations and forcing the people on both sides to get acquainted practically overnight.

The Act, which took effect on the 1 st January 1801, resulted in many changes, especially for the Irish people. Not only did they loose the parliament in Dublin, but the former members now also had to take their seats at Westminster. This development only served to distance most of the Irish from the Government in Britain. Additionally, the Act was frowned upon by many, which eventually lead to a rebellion shortly after, in 1803. It might be considered as the first sign of the continued willingness of the Irish people to fight for their Independence, with the help of armed forces if necessary. Another problem was that the Irish citizens did not get “a fairer share in government” 2 after the Act of Union. Instead, “[t]he major part of Irish property was held by a small number of landed families [….] [T]hese people were Protestant, and for the most part unionist in their politics.” 3 They were in no way worthy representatives for the Irish majority. In addition, the common people were further discriminated in religious matters, they could only own a limited amount of land and were also not permitted to take on certain professions or receive a higher education. These restrictions were recorded in the so called Penal Laws.

Therefore, after the Act of Union, one of the main goals was to repel these laws, and to strengthen the rights of the Catholic population. The figurehead of this new campaign was Daniel O’Connell, a lawyer with catholic background. In 1823, the Catholic Association was founded, where the peasants could actively participate in political matters. The effort put into the organisation should pay off shortly thereafter, because in 1829, Catholic Emancipation was finally approved in form of the “Roman Catholic Relief Act. It removed legal prohibitions upon Catholics [and] […] eliminated the required

1 Unless stated differently, the following explanations are mostly based on Oonagh Walsh,

Ireland's Independence, 1880 – 1923 (London: Routledge, 2002) 1-42.

2 Walsh 1.

3 Walsh 2.

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oath for parliamentary participation.” 4 Prior to it, only those who denounced Catholicism were allowed to enter the Parliament.

This was one of the most important developments, for now also Catholics could fully take part in the politics of their country.

However, the political and religious struggles were not the only, or even the most difficult, problems of the Irish during the 19 th century. Also the eating habits of the common people proved to be troublesome, because during the last part of the 18 th century, the potato became the essential element of their diet. Soon, the poorer Irish hardly cultivated anything except potatoes on their land, which eventually lead to catastrophic events in the years 1845-1850, known as the Great Potato Famine.

In 1845, a potato disease came upon Ireland and destroyed most of the plants. The famine and despair that followed was one of the most horrendous occurrences in the history of the country. During those horrible years, the population of Ireland decreased steadily through starvation, sickness and emigration, and by 1855 about two million people had been lost. Furthermore, another two million would emigrate during the following 50 years, thus depriving Ireland of about 4 million people.

However, it was not only the famine itself that caused those disastrous conditions in Ireland. The British government also added to the worsening situation of the Irish peasants. In the first year of the famine, the government under Robert Peel still attempted to help the suffering population my means of relief measures. In 1846, though, when John Russell became Prime Minister, the way the problem was treated changed dramatically. Now, “Russell’s cabinet was seen to preside over the decimation of the Irish population in an especially heartless and brutal manner.” 5 This development, even though it was still many years away from the Easter Rebellion, might still be considered one of the major influences, because “[t]he powerlessness of the people, and the apparent indifference of the government to their sufferings, left a dangerous legacy of anger and resentment that was to shape political developments in the second half of the nineteenth century.” 6

4 Walsh 3.

5 Walsh 4.

6 Walsh 5.

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There were, of course, other events of importance in the years prior to the Easter rebellion, among them the rise and fall of Charles Steward Parnell, the founding of the Land League and its consequences, as well as the several attempts at Home Rule under Gladstone. However, to write about all those would surpass the limitations of this paper.

Therefore, only one other event will be further explained here because of its importance for the developments after the Easter rising. The occurrence in question is the founding and the later activities of the so called Fenian Movement.

In 1900, the first steps were taken by Arthur Griffith, who founded a group called Cumann na nGaedheal. This organisation “would dramatically advance Ireland’s progress towards independence […]” 7 in the future. Later on, in the years following 1907, Griffith’s group joined with two other nationalist movements, the Dungannon Clubs and the National Council, to create a new organisation – Sinn Féin.

Another major step w as the re-emerging of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), and the creation of the Irish Volunteers (IV) in 1913. The IRB, also called Fenians and already founded in 1858, were a secret society “dedicated to the establishment on an Irish Republic.” 8 It had experienced an uplift in the years between 1907 and 1912, and “IRB members infiltrated almost all the principal organisations in Ireland before 1914 […].” 9 Additional to this development, the political tension between Ireland and Britain had risen considerably since the turn of the century. Unionist movements had come together to actively resist the third Home Rule bill in 1912. Also, there was a serious dispute on whether or not Ulster should be excluded from Home Rule, and so Ireland was only one step away from a civil war when World War I began. In 1914, the IRB planned a revolutionary outbreak, which would later be known as the Easter Rising in 1916. 10

7 Walsh 31.

8 Walsh 35.

9 Walsh 35.

10 See: “Modern Ireland under British Rule.” Britannica© CD 99, 1994-1998. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.