Andrew Connor

Theo-300

Mr. Sciuto

 

Sinn Fein

            Sinn Fein is an Irish Nationalist movement in the early 1900’s. The political group sought to break away from English rule, to have the Irish lead the Irish. The group was started by Arthur Griffith in 1905 to form a dual monarchism system with the English. It was also made the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, during the Irish civil war in the 1920’s.1

            Sinn Fein, or “We ourselves”, was a party founded on the basis of starting an independent government and developing an balanced economic society.2 After The Easter Rising Sinn Fein gained popularity for standing up to the English power, even though they didn’t organize the rising or participate at all. In the 1918 general election Sinn Fein became the first group to have the majority against the Irish Parliamentary Party, or IPP, in over 50 years.3 This happened because Sinn Fein brought together all of the smaller nationalist that opposed the Irish Parliamentary Party. They won 73 of 80 spots in the Parliament, becoming a majority.4

Even though Sinn Fein was a non violent political group, it was blamed for the Easter Rising by the English and some of the Irish public. The Easter Rising was a rebellion against the English during the Easter week in 1916.5 The organizers for this rebellion were leaders of the IRB, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which was an early form of the Irish Republican Army, or IRA. Most of the fighting was done in Dublin where the Irish and the English fought building to building in the streets for six days. After the fighting stopped many of the leaders of the Irish Republican Brotherhood were tried for treason and executed. 6Sinn Fein’s leaders were also arrested because of the popular belief of the English and Irish, that they started the uprising. Most of the prisoners involved with Sinn Fein however were set free, not being sentenced to death, Including Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith.

            During this time, Michael Collins was imprisoned because of his participation in the Easter Rising. While he was imprisoned, he and others started plans to form and Irish Republic.7 Michael Collins was a leader of Sinn Fein as well as the director of intelligence for the Irish Republican Army. Collins would send men out in order to attack British officials in public places causing havoc in the streets. This tactic jarred the British enough to call peace negotiations, but the negotiations proved to be fruitless to Collins because they did not get a free Ireland.8 He started to attack some Irish Republicans in order to force Irish freedom upon them causing a Irish civil war. The civil war was his downfall, however, because in the early parts of the civil war he was shot and killed. When he died, his side already was claiming victory.

            Another Important figurehead of Sinn Fein was Arthur Griffith, the man that started the Sinn Fein Political Party. “A braver man than Arthur Griffith, I have never met,” said a British delegate.  Arthur Griffith started Sinn Fein in the hopes of a different Ireland but without the use of force.9 Even so he was arrested in the aftermath of the Easter Rising for being a leader in Sinn Fein. After spending his time in jail he went back to leading Sinn Fein, this time as its Vice president. He was under Eamon de Valera who was elected President, or Dali, or Sinn Fein. He was also elected President of Sinn Fein in 1922 after de Valera left the position. However, he died of a brain hemorrhage in the beginning of the civil war, in August 1922.10

            Sinn Fein is still in existence lead by Gerry Adams. However, over the past century the popularity of the party has gone down, only having 5 seats in the parliament. They still act like they did in the early 1900’s but they are no longer associated with the Irish republican army, which has quieted down.

            Sinn Fein, in the beginning was a big part of Irish life because it was involved in uprisings, the civil war, and it was a dominate political group afterwards controlling most of Irelands spots on the Parliament. It has survived through the past century but it has never been as popular as it was in the 1920’s when there was a big surge of nationalism found throughout the Irish peoples


Endnotes

1. George Dangerfield, The Damnable Question: A History of Anglo-Irish Relations (New York: Barnes & Noble books, 1976), p. 245

2. Raymond Turner, “The Evolution of Sinn Fein,” The American Historical Review 26, no. 3 pg 523

3. Steven J. Brams, “Cooperation Through Threats: The Northern Ireland Case,” Ps: Political Science and Politics 31, no. 1 p.34

4. Brams, p. 35.

5. Dangerfield, p. 108

6. Dangerfield, p 108

7. "Michael Collins." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 13, 2008). P. 1

8. "Michael Collins." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 13, 2008). P. 1

9. Dangerfield, p. 254

10. Turner, p.525
Bibliography

Brams, Steven J. “Cooperation Through Threats: The Northern Ireland Case.” Ps: Political Science and Politics 31, no. 1 p. 32-40

Dangerfield, George. The Damnable Question: A history of Anglo-Irish Relations. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1976.

"Michael Collins." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com (accessed April 13, 2008).

Turner, Raymond. “The Evolution of Sinn Fein.” The American Historical Review 26, no. 3 (April 1921): 523-525

 

1