12) Rise Of Sinn Fein Essay Plan

Question 1

Failures by the IPP (4)

Answer 1

• allowed themselves to be outplayed by Ulster unionists at the Lloyd George negotiations and the Irish Convention, which reinforced the idea that they were incapable of solving issues. Both talks dealt with IPP’s concept of HR which was very short of independence for Ireland not satisfying for a post-Rising hardened nation
• They were closely associated with GB during the executions because of their support of them during the war
• the fiasco of the ’germam-SF’ plot also reflected badly on the IPPs British connection
• IPP didn’t make a substantial enough attempt to enforce their opinion on the government, especially with their attempt to find a political solution for Ireland. If they had accepted being in Britain’s wartime coalition, they could have exerted a greater influence over government policy, which was key to their constitutional attitude
• they also failed to update their concept for Ireland, particularly President Wilson’s principle for ‘self determination’
• By December 1918 the IPP had only won a mere six seats in the general election

Question 2

Actions by Sinn Fein (6)

Answer 2

• They created a network of their own clubs and made use of Ireland’s GAA clubs that arose from the recent Gaelic revival
• They boycotted the Irish convention to present themselves as stepping away from inadequate negotiations and concentrating instead on a clear vision of complete Irish independence. This was a popular approach, with Colonel Morris Moore saying to Dillion in 1917 that ‘particularly all the young men are Sinn Féiners’
• the conscription crisis and Sinn Féin’s consistent reunification on the issue proved successful. The Catholic Church were looking to SF for leadership added to their credibility
• With the supposed ‘German Plot’, Sinn Fein further proved their shrewdness; willingly allowing their members to be arrested, resulting in a wave of support that carried the party to victory in the East Cavan by-election
• They also did this by presenting themselves as a credible alternative to the IPP
• The ability of Sf to capitalise on British mistakes and build up of network of support and to represent a clear vision of Irish independence must also be considered

Question 3

Actions of the British government (5)

Answer 3

• In April 1916 Asquith’s government decided to execute the rebel’s and intern suspected SF members who were wrongly blamed for the rising. The harsh nature of the executions e.g Connolly, who was unable to stand and thus strapped to a chair to be executed, undermined BG in the eyes of the Irish
• the murder of popular journalist Sheehy-Skeffington, executed without trial to cover up the unwarranted death of a Dublin youth at British hands and killing of Senior Volunteer Thomas Ashe, who was force fed by British prison officials, also gave SF the upper hand
• the extension of the franchise in 1918 benefitted SF as their youthful dynamic leadership proved attractive to new voters
• the ‘German’ plot of May 1918 showed Britain to be clutching at straws as they made unsupported claims of a SF-German collaboration, to which SF responded by allowing their suspected members to be arrested, gaining them a fresh wave of sympathy in the year of an election
• British failed to find a political solution for Ireland via either the Lloyd George negotiation 1916 in which Lloyd George attempted to promise different things to both the IPP and the ulster unionists and failed to achieve HR or at the Irish Convention 1917-18 where Britain failed to capture the serious attention of either of Ireland’s key players, the UU and SF