Irish History: Causes of the Irish Civil War (1922-1923)
1. Pre-existing divisions within Sinn Fein (long-term causes)
2. Impact of the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921)
3. Failure of constitutional solutions
4. Atmosphere of violence in Irish politics
Pre-existing Divisions within Sinn Fein
● 1916: The Easter Rising is mistakenly referred to as “the Sinn Fein
Rising”, attracting all kinds of political malcontents.
○ Sinn Fein becomes an “umbrella organisation” (Lyons) for all
forms of separatism (constitutional, Home Rule, republicanism,
etc.)
○ Whilst this strengthens Sinn Fein’s support base, it also leads to
ideological differences.
○ The Rising cements Sinn Fein’s position as a republican party-
Brugha, Collins and de Valera are dedicated to enacting the
proclamation of the republic by the 1916 rebels.
○ The Rising united de Valera (a militaristic republican) and Griffith
(a constitutional monarchist) as two of Sinn Fein’s most prominent
leaders.
● Military men (from within the Irish Volunteers) became “temporary
politicians” (Laffan), strengthening Sinn Fein’s military connections. This
made open conflict more likely in 1921/1922.
● Griffith founded Sinn Fein as a monarchist, not as a republican. As the
party became synonymous with the republican cause, Griffith and his
supporters continued to oppose its more radical politics.
, ○ As Sinn Fein was infiltrated by the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB), and aligned itself more closely with the Irish Volunteers,
alternative, more radical attitudes became more prominent.
● De Valera has to cover these divisions as Sinn Fein grows in power
(1917-1918), with the intention of replacing the Irish Parliamentary Party
(IPP) as Ireland’s main party.
○ De Valera succeeds- the party wins the general election in Ireland
in December 1918. However, with the removal of the IPP as a
common enemy, cracks begin to appear again.
● De Valera’s attempts to soothe divisions within Sinn Fein:
○ 1917: The Irish Volunteers (radical republicans prepared to use
violence) threaten to split from Sinn Fein
○ De Valera responds with “Get this done and we will agree to differ
afterwards” (referring to the 1918 election).
○ October 1917: De Valera resolves a dispute between the
republicans and non-republicans during the October Ard Fheis.
De Valera proposes a new Sinn Fein constitution which focuses
on a republic (appealing to republicans) but remaining
deliberately vague about the methods used to achieve it
(acceptable to non-republicans). This involved declaring the
intention of achieving a republic but allowing the people to “by
referendum freely choose their own form of government”.
○ 27th October 1917: De Valera is elected as President of the Irish
Volunteers. He was already President of Sinn Fein, closing the
distance between politics and military republicanism.
○ “We are not doctrinaire nationalists”- de Valera (said to appease
the more moderate factions within Sinn Fein, although it would
anger the radicals and actually promote division rather than
resolve it).
, ○ De Valera promises to attend the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
as part of Sinn Fein’s campaign in the 1918 election. This was
appealing to a broad variety of Irish nationalists.
● De Valera’s attempts to preserve unity in Sinn Fein were a delaying
tactic, not a solution. When the common enemies of the IPP (overcome
in 1918) and the British (overcome in 1921 after the end of the
Anglo-Irish war) were removed, these divisions arose once more.
● 21st January 1919: The Dail meets for the first time. On the same day,
the Irish Volunteers shoot the first shots of the Anglo-Irish War at
Soloheadbeg (Co. Tipperary). This shows the unwillingness of some
Volunteers to respect the democratic policy. This foreshadows the
conflict between political and military groups during the Civil War.
Impact of the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921)
Supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
● The public: the Irish population had been living in a near-constant state
of war since 1914, and prioritised peace.
● The Roman Catholic Church: the Church had always opposed
Volunteer violence, and welcomed the possibility of peace.
● Most of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish Republican
Brotherhood (IRB) supported the treaty.
○ They followed Collins’ leadership- Collins was pragmatic, and
accepted the treaty as he knew that the IRA could not win the
Anglo-Irish War. By the time of the truce, they had been “counting
bullets” (Collins).
○ “Not the ultimate freedom that all nations aspire and develop to,
but the freedom to achieve it” (Collins).
● Griffith was a strong supporter of the Treaty- he had never believed that
a republic was a realistic goal.
1. Pre-existing divisions within Sinn Fein (long-term causes)
2. Impact of the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921)
3. Failure of constitutional solutions
4. Atmosphere of violence in Irish politics
Pre-existing Divisions within Sinn Fein
● 1916: The Easter Rising is mistakenly referred to as “the Sinn Fein
Rising”, attracting all kinds of political malcontents.
○ Sinn Fein becomes an “umbrella organisation” (Lyons) for all
forms of separatism (constitutional, Home Rule, republicanism,
etc.)
○ Whilst this strengthens Sinn Fein’s support base, it also leads to
ideological differences.
○ The Rising cements Sinn Fein’s position as a republican party-
Brugha, Collins and de Valera are dedicated to enacting the
proclamation of the republic by the 1916 rebels.
○ The Rising united de Valera (a militaristic republican) and Griffith
(a constitutional monarchist) as two of Sinn Fein’s most prominent
leaders.
● Military men (from within the Irish Volunteers) became “temporary
politicians” (Laffan), strengthening Sinn Fein’s military connections. This
made open conflict more likely in 1921/1922.
● Griffith founded Sinn Fein as a monarchist, not as a republican. As the
party became synonymous with the republican cause, Griffith and his
supporters continued to oppose its more radical politics.
, ○ As Sinn Fein was infiltrated by the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB), and aligned itself more closely with the Irish Volunteers,
alternative, more radical attitudes became more prominent.
● De Valera has to cover these divisions as Sinn Fein grows in power
(1917-1918), with the intention of replacing the Irish Parliamentary Party
(IPP) as Ireland’s main party.
○ De Valera succeeds- the party wins the general election in Ireland
in December 1918. However, with the removal of the IPP as a
common enemy, cracks begin to appear again.
● De Valera’s attempts to soothe divisions within Sinn Fein:
○ 1917: The Irish Volunteers (radical republicans prepared to use
violence) threaten to split from Sinn Fein
○ De Valera responds with “Get this done and we will agree to differ
afterwards” (referring to the 1918 election).
○ October 1917: De Valera resolves a dispute between the
republicans and non-republicans during the October Ard Fheis.
De Valera proposes a new Sinn Fein constitution which focuses
on a republic (appealing to republicans) but remaining
deliberately vague about the methods used to achieve it
(acceptable to non-republicans). This involved declaring the
intention of achieving a republic but allowing the people to “by
referendum freely choose their own form of government”.
○ 27th October 1917: De Valera is elected as President of the Irish
Volunteers. He was already President of Sinn Fein, closing the
distance between politics and military republicanism.
○ “We are not doctrinaire nationalists”- de Valera (said to appease
the more moderate factions within Sinn Fein, although it would
anger the radicals and actually promote division rather than
resolve it).
, ○ De Valera promises to attend the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
as part of Sinn Fein’s campaign in the 1918 election. This was
appealing to a broad variety of Irish nationalists.
● De Valera’s attempts to preserve unity in Sinn Fein were a delaying
tactic, not a solution. When the common enemies of the IPP (overcome
in 1918) and the British (overcome in 1921 after the end of the
Anglo-Irish war) were removed, these divisions arose once more.
● 21st January 1919: The Dail meets for the first time. On the same day,
the Irish Volunteers shoot the first shots of the Anglo-Irish War at
Soloheadbeg (Co. Tipperary). This shows the unwillingness of some
Volunteers to respect the democratic policy. This foreshadows the
conflict between political and military groups during the Civil War.
Impact of the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921)
Supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
● The public: the Irish population had been living in a near-constant state
of war since 1914, and prioritised peace.
● The Roman Catholic Church: the Church had always opposed
Volunteer violence, and welcomed the possibility of peace.
● Most of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Irish Republican
Brotherhood (IRB) supported the treaty.
○ They followed Collins’ leadership- Collins was pragmatic, and
accepted the treaty as he knew that the IRA could not win the
Anglo-Irish War. By the time of the truce, they had been “counting
bullets” (Collins).
○ “Not the ultimate freedom that all nations aspire and develop to,
but the freedom to achieve it” (Collins).
● Griffith was a strong supporter of the Treaty- he had never believed that
a republic was a realistic goal.
