The Rise Of The Second Sinn Fein Party Flashcards
Why did Lloyd George frees the prisoners?
At the end of 1916 Britain was doing badly in the war. In December Asquith was forced out and Lloyd George became prime minister
He had one main aim win the war by getting America to declare war on Germany
The was a large irish american community hostile to Britain to appease ghe Lloyd George freed the Easter week prisoners
Who were the new leaders for nationalists?
They got a warm welcome home. Some at once began to organise extreme nationalists to oppose home rule party
Arthur Griffith started to revive the sinn fein party
Micheal Collins reorganised the IRB and built a spy network
Catholic Brugha disapproved of secret society’s and began to revive the Irish Volunteers as an open army
What happend in the by-elections of 1917?
In Roscommon people named Count Plunket who’s son had been executed in 1916 , as a sinn fein candidate( by sinn fein they mentioned supporter of the rising) Griffith, Collins and Brugha went to canvass for him and he won
Later “sinn feiners” won two more by elections. The candidate in the third was De valera who was just freed by Lloyd George
These elections were important ad they made Griffiths sinn fein party better known and showed militant republicans like Collins and Brugha the value of elections for winning popular support
How was the second sinn fein party founded?
After de valera was elected he began talks to unite the various products 1916 factions. They were divided about aims (republic and dual monarchy), tactics(violence or politics) and leadership (Griffith, Plunket or de valera)
Talks led to a new “second” sinn fein party in October 1917
They agreed to work for a republic which they hoped to achieve by:
- getting MPS elected
- setting up a dail in Dublin
- electing an Irish government to rule the country
- appealing for self determination to the Paris peace conference
De Valera was elected president, Griffith and Plunket were vice presidents
Next day the volunteers also elected de valera their leader, uniting the political and millitary wings of the movement
What was the Irish convention?
When America entered the war in 1917 Lloyd George set up the Irish convention to let the Irish find a solution to the division between nationalists and unionists
It met between July 1917 and April 1918
Home rules, churches and trade unionists attended but Sinn Fein boycotted it
Redmond a dying man tried to make a deal with Carson but he was only interested in the six counties agreed to in 1916
The convention ended in failure. Further discredited the home rule party and strengthen sinn fein
March 1918 Redmond died. John dillon became leader of home rule party
What was the conscription crisis and “The German Plot” ?
Early in 1918 the Germans launched a desperate attack on the western front and the British needed more soldiers to fight them So Lloyd George introduced conscription to Ireland
Most nationalists opposed conscription:
- Dillon’s walked out of Westminster in protest
- trade unions organised strikes against it
- The Catholic Bishops denounced it
- Sinn fein and the volunteers threatened to fight it
The British claimed to have discovered a German plot and arrested many sinn fein leaders. No one believed the plot existed and it earned sympathy for sinn fein. With de valera and Griffith in jail Collins emerged as leader
By August Germany had collapsed and the soldiers were not needed but Sinn Fein got credit for preventing conscription
What happened in the 1918 election?
When the first world war ended in November 1918 Lloyd George called a general election for December 1918. It was an unusual election:
- The first since 1910 because there were no elections during the war - The first time men over 21, and women ratepayers over 30 could vote. Women could also stand as candidates
In the campaign:
- The unionist party led by Carson continued campaigning against home
- The labour party did not put up any candidates as not to confuse the issue for nationalists
The nationalists had a clear choice. Did they want:
a) Dillon’s home rule party to go back to Westminster and continue negotiating for a limited self government
b) De Valeras sinn fein party to stay in Ireland, set up an Irish Republic and appeal for recognition at the Paris peace conference
Sinn Fein did not mention violence it is election liturature but Collins Brugha and some volunteers were planning violence
Many sinn fein leaders were still in jail and it’s campaign lituraturemacbeth censored. This probably helped make them popular
Unionists: 26 Home rule: 6 sinn fein: 73
Home rule party was almost wiped out
What happened in the 1918 election?
When the first world war ended in November 1918 Lloyd George called a general election for December 1918. It was an unusual election:
- The first since 1910 because there were no elections during the war - The first time men over 21, and women ratepayers over 30 could vote. Women could also stand as candidates
In the campaign:
- The unionist party led by Carson continued campaigning against home
- The labour party did not put up any candidates as not to confuse the issue for nationalists
The nationalists had a clear choice. Did they want:
a) Dillon’s home rule party to go back to Westminster and continue negotiating for a limited self government
b) De Valeras sinn fein party to stay in Ireland, set up an Irish Republic and appeal for recognition at the Paris peace conference
Sinn Fein did not mention violence it is election liturature but Collins Brugha and some volunteers were planning violence
Many sinn fein leaders were still in jail and it’s campaign lituraturemacbeth censored. This probably helped make them popular
Unionists: 26 Home rule: 6 sinn fein: 73
Home rule party was almost wiped out
