1918: the end of the INP & the Anglo-Irish civil war 1918-1921

How did British force encourage the growth of Sinn Fein?

• 1918 - the British unsuccessfully tried to extend conscription to Ireland (as a price for IHR)

• Continuing British attempts to suppress Sinn Fein

How did the 1918 general election show the growth of Sinn Fein?

• Sinn Fein - 73 MPs

• Ulster Unionism - 26 MPs

• INP - 6 MPs

→ Sinn Fein now replaced the INP as the voice of Irish public opinion

What was the Dail, why was it created, and why did it lead to conflict w/ the British state?

It was the new parliament that was unilaterally voted for by Sinn Fein independently of the UK govt

Would be used to create a new constitution for an independent republic - as an effort to create a new ‘counter state’ to that of Britain

Many Dail representatives were on the run - British state declared it illegal

What was the Irish Republican Army (IRA) & what did they do in late 1919?

The army of the Dail that was united by its hatred of British rule

Started a campaign of guerrilla warfare & terrorism against the Royal Irish Constabulary (the police force in Ireland) → led to Anglo-Irish civil war breaking out

What was the Anglo-Irish civil war, who exacerbated the situation, and how?

Seemingly unstoppable spiral of violence & counter-violence between the British authorities & their allies in Dublin & the IRA

• British authorities exacerbated the situation:

  • Employed Auxiliaries & the Blacks and Tans (paid ex-servicemen) to try to crush the IRA

  • Used violence & murder that undermined the rep of Britain & DLG

What did the IRA compare the British to following their reaction to the civil war & why?

A ‘boomerang against those who had cast it’ - their outrages increased support for the IRA

What was Bloody Sunday?

• The British burnt the city of Cork to the ground

• They shot spectators dead at a Gaelic football match

→ All in retaliation for IRA murders