Irish Civil war

The Irish Civil war is a war having opposed between them the Irish freedom fighters divided on the Traité of London ratified little by the Dail in December 1921. The majority follows Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, members of the first government of the State Libre of Ireland created by the treaty, and a minority follows Eamon de Valera. The war bursts after the victory of the partisans of the treaty to the elections of 1922, it will cost the life nearly 4.000 Irishmen.

The treaty

See also: Anglo-Irish Treaty

The Anglo-Irish Treated, negotiated between a delegation of the Sinn Fein carried out by Arthur Griffith and Michael Hakes and the British government of David Lloyd George close the Guerre of Irish independence. The treaty envisages inter alia the partition of the Ireland, the creation of a State Libre of Ireland having the statute of Dominion in the twenty-six counties of the south and an oath of allegiance to the British crown by the members of the Irish Parliament, the Dail. It is signed the December 6th 1921 in London, it is ratified easily by the House of Commons and is royally proclaimed a year later. The ratification by the Whetstone is less easy, because of opposition of two of the independence leaders of the war, Eamon de Valera and Cathal Brugha. The treaty is finally ratified of accuracy, on January 7th, 1922, in sign of protest, of Valera the Dail leaves and resigns of the presidency of the republic. A provisional government is then formed around Arthur Griffith to ensure the creation of the State Libre. The general elections which take place shortly after are a bright victory for the partisans of the treaty. The latter ensure that it is only one first step towards complete independence, whereas its opponents think that it breaks any hope of introduction of a republic.

The nationalist movement implose

Although the parties supporting the treaty largely gained the elections of 1922, of Valera does not disarm and tries to take the control of the WILL GO including one most of the executives are favorable for him. The WILL GO tears between its creator, Michael Collins and the opponents with the treaty. The part favorable to this last joined the rows of the new National army of Ireland (INA). In April 1922, the law courts of Dublin, Furnace Courts, are occupied by 200 men of Valera under the direction of Rory O' Connor. Their goal is to cause the resumption of the war with the British.

The battle of Dublin

The government of Lloyd George threat the State Libre of an intervention if the insurrectionists are not dislodged all while proposing to him to provide him military equipment. Michael Collins does not have of another choice in order to safeguard the autonomy of the Ireland to use British guns to bombard Four Courts the June 28th 1922. The battle for the control of the capital is extremely violent, because of use of heavy artillery by the INA, more than 250 non-combatant will be killed. Dominated on the military level, the anti-treaty are beaten in one week after having lost 500 men, facts captive by the army of the State Libre. The battle of Dublin made 65 died on the two sides among which Cathal Brugha, former minister for Defense during the war of independence. The civil war can begin between the former comrades in arms.

The war

The conflict is from now on inevitable between the republicans of Liam Lynch, appointed chief of Staff of the WILL GO and the soldiers of the INA of Michael Collins. The republican forces are more numerous at the beginning of the war but lack material (in particular of artillery) and of effective framing. The INA on the contrary has of material (rifles, armoured tanks, guns) provided by the British and the support of the majority of the population and the Church which wish to put an end to the war. It will not cease recruiting during the war until largely exceeding the republican forces. The officers of the Army of the State Libre are often combatants aguerris of the First World War and even of the former British officers, which the anti-treaty will not take care not to underline in their propaganda, the other recruits on the other hand are often young and without experiment. Initially, the republican forces hold more important part of the territory, but their material inferiority force them to avoid direct confrontation. During August 1922, the INA is thus attacked in priority at the cities of the west and the south held by the republicans. The offensive is a complete success, all the Irish big cities are under the control of the State Libre. The WILL GO must then disperse its forces and is condemned to take only actions of guerilla which could not be decisive. The State Libre however loses its head of government, Arthur Griffith, which dies of an brain attack on August 12th and the commander-in-chief of his army, Michael Collins, who falls at the time of a republican ambush the 22. It is William T. Cosgrave and Richard Mulcahy which is given the responsability to continue the war at the respective stations of Griffith and Collins. The republican ambushes exasperate the INA which proceeds to an execution campaign of republican prisoners in November 1922, to which answers in December the attacks of the anti-treaty against members of the Dail and the landowners, often Protestant, protected by the State Libre. The cycle of violence continues with the execution of the leaders anti-treaties makes captive by the INA, among which Rory O' Connor shortly after. The lack of success of the WILL GO and the increasing hostility of the population leads finally Eamon de Valera and the republicans to order the cease-fire the April 30th 1923, followed by an order to deposit the weapons the May 24th.

Assessment

The civil war cost the life nearly 4.000 Irishmen, and 12.000 republicans will remain interned for the majority until in 1924. This assessment remains however relatively relatively low compared with the other civil wars of the XXe century. Moreover, Northern Ireland was saved, avoiding a conflict much more destroying, either between former brothers in arms but between two communities having a dispute much more important and older. The cost of the war remains in spite of very important, the destruction cost 30 million books the State Libre which leaves the war involved in debt to height of 4 million books.

Consequences

The economic costs of the civil war pushed the State Libre to reduce its claims concerning the layout of the border of the Northern Ireland, including zones there where the nationalists were majority, against the renouncement of the the United Kingdom to make pay in the young State part of the debt contracted by the crown during the First World War (what constituted one of the clauses of the Anglo-Irish Traité). In 1925, after having tried, in vain, to gather the Sinn Fein around him to make evolve the Free State to a republic, Eamon de Valera founds the Fianna Fail, which will be brought to dominate the Irish political life until our days. The Fine Gael, founded in 1933 by the former partisans of the treaty remains still today the other great political party of the Irish Republic. The civil war left its marks until today in the fight that these two parties for the capacity are carried out.

Related articles

  • Guerre of Irish independence
  • Anglo-Irish Traité
  • WILL GO
  • Sinn Fein
  • State Libre of Ireland
  • Michael Collins
  • Eamon de Valera

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