Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was an internal conflict in the polity known as the Irish Republic, which was established in 1921 when Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom. It lasted for about eleven months, from June 1922 until May 1923. The main basis for the war was a deep divide among the Irish people with regard to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which established the terms of Ireland's departure from the United Kingdom. One of the most contentious points of the treaty was the status of Northern Ireland, a political division within the island of Ireland consisting of six of its nine northernmost counties.

Following the adoption of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Ireland's population divided along two main lines: pro-treaty supporters of the Irish Republic's Provisional Government, and an anti-treaty faction that rejected the agreement's terms and conditions. This division effectively represented a split of the Irish nationalist movement.

Background

In 1800, the Act of Union joined Ireland with Great Britain, a nation consisting of England, Scotland, and Wales. The act created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and was undertaken largely in response to the American Revolution (1775–1783) and the French Revolution (1789–1799).

During the era of the American Revolution, the unresolved constitutional status of Ireland came to be viewed by the British as a potential threat to its internal stability and power. With the American colonies staging a successful revolt against Britain, fears grew that the Irish might themselves be inspired to fight British authority in Ireland. At the time, Ireland was a protectorate of Great Britain, and did not have full political or legislative representation.

The French Revolution broke out a few years after the American Revolution. In this case, Britain feared that the French might use Ireland as a launching point for an invasion of England. Thus, Britain came to view a full and complete political and economic union with Ireland as the most viable solution. The Act of Union granted Ireland full participatory status within the new United Kingdom.

However, the Act of Union failed to resolve internal tensions with respect to Ireland's Protestant and Catholic populations. Great Britain viewed Protestantism as an essential part of its national identity, and Ireland was a traditionally Catholic country with a large Catholic population. As a result, Ireland's union with Great Britain was a tenuous one, and eventually resulted in the rise of an Irish nationalist movement. Nationalist sentiments culminated in the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921).

In 1921, the Irish War of Independence concluded with the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which established the Irish Republic and its Provisional Government and pledged to establish a fully independent Irish Free State within one year. It also resulted in the partitioning of Ireland into the largely pro-unionist, primarily Protestant state of Northern Ireland, and a largely pro-nationalist, primarily Catholic southern state. Under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Northern Ireland would also be afforded the opportunity to opt out of the Irish Free State and remain part of the United Kingdom. The Anglo-Irish Treaty was adopted by Irish officials in a hotly debated and highly contentious parliamentary vote, which was held in January 1922 and counted 64 votes in favor and 57 opposed.

Overview

The terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty created a divide among Irish nationalists, splitting them into two opposing factions. One of the factions supported the terms of the treaty and was loyal to the Irish Republic's Provisional Government, while the other felt the treaty's treatment of Northern Ireland betrayed the ideals of Irish nationalism. The pro-treaty side believed that a failure to accept the treaty's terms and conditions would inevitably result in an undesirable resumption of hostilities with Great Britain. The anti-treaty side rallied around an Irish Republican Army (IRA) splinter group, while the pro-treaty branch of the IRA became known as the National Army.

On June 22, 1922, Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson (1864–1922) was assassinated in London by anti-treaty IRA sympathizers. The Ireland-born Wilson had earned a title in the British nobility, and had been a high-profile opponent of Irish independence. Irish nationalists widely considered him a traitor, and his symbolic murder prompted a response from the British government. Britain issued an ultimatum to the Irish Republic, stating that Britain would consider the Anglo-Irish Treaty to have been broken if the Provisional Government and National Army did not strike back against the anti-treaty IRA. This episode marked the outbreak of the Irish Civil War.

Six days after Wilson's assassination, anti-treaty IRA forces stormed the Four Courts complex in Dublin, where the Provisional Government exercised its judicial authority. Fighting between the pro-treaty National Army and the anti-treaty IRA factions broke out, resulting in the destruction of the Four Courts building. Hostilities continued to escalate, with the opposing sides initially confronting one another in conventional warfare. However, the anti-treaty IRA was overmatched by the larger and more powerful British-backed National Army, and eventually retreated from direct military confrontation. Instead, IRA forces elected to adopt a guerrilla-style strategy centered on assassinations and the bombing of government buildings and infrastructure.

In response, the Provisional Government expanded its range of powers, using its newly gained authority to execute a total of seventy-seven IRA members. On May 24, 1923, IRA forces called a ceasefire, bringing the Irish Civil War to an end. Approximately four thousand people were killed over the course of its eleven-month duration.

With the pro-treaty side emerging as the victors, a delicate stability settled over the newly created Irish Free State. However, Northern Ireland exercised its option to remain part of the United Kingdom on December 7, 1922, the day after the Irish Free State officially came into existence. The Irish Free State lasted until 1937, when the polity adopted a new constitution that ultimately led to its departure from the British Commonwealth and the founding of the Republic of Ireland.

Bibliography

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Foster, Gavin M. The Irish Civil War and Society: Politics, Class, and Conflict. Springer, 2015.

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"Irish Civil War." The National Archives, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/cabinetpapers/themes/irish-civil-war.htm. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.

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