Political Background

Easter Rising 1916 – the final push for Irish independence

The Easter Rising may have erupted suddenly in 1916 but it had a background of Irish nationalism and hunger for independence that went back nearly a thousand years.

There had been several rebellions against British rule in the past; all had failed but this time the rebels were confident that the outcome would be different because of a unique set of circumstances that had never happened before.

The most obvious change was that Britain was at war with Germany. Many rebel leaders felt that Britain’s difficulties would be Ireland’s opportunity. They reasoned that with a war to fight in Europe, the British would have neither the will nor the manpower to suppress a rebellion in Ireland.

Britain had promised Home Rule for Ireland

Charles Parnell

This belief was strengthened by the fact that the British Government had already promised Home Rule for Ireland.

Following persistent political pressure from Irish nationalists like Daniel O’Connell and Charles Parnell in the 19th century, British resistance to the idea of Irish independence had weakened.

Matters came to a head after the British General Election 1910 when the Irish Parliamentary Party led by John Redmond found it held the balance of power between the main British parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives, in the British Parliament.

Irish independence was postponed because of the war

John Redmond 1917

Redmond agreed to back the Liberals but exacted a high price; in return for the support of Irish MPs, Redmond demanded self-government for Ireland. The Liberal Government relented and the Home Rule Act received the Royal Assent in 1914.

The First World War broke out before the Act could take effect but the commitment had been made. Redmond and most nationalists, albeit reluctantly, accepted that independence would have to wait until the British had dealt with the more pressing matter of winning the war.

More than 200,000 Irishmen fought for Britain in the war

Buoyed up by the promise of independence, the Irish then threw their energies behind the war effort. More than 200,000 Irishmen fought in the British army. Many were just patriotic to the Crown at that time; others believed that if they helped Britain in its hour of need, it would reward them with independence.

Many Irish nationalists, however, did not trust the British to keep their word. Nor did they want to wait until Britain deigned to give them the independence they felt was theirs by right anyway.

Easter Rising rebels wanted to decide their own destiny

Irish Fenian Executive

Groups like the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and the Irish Volunteer Force felt it was better to take action and decide their own destiny. With this in mind, they conceived of a rebellion to take place over the Easter week of 1916.

The rebels were small in number but they believed that once the rebellion got under way, there would be a spontaneous eruption of nationalist fervour among the people leading to a wave of popular support.

Easter Rising page links

Main Groups:
Political background
Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Volunteer Force

The Fighting:
The Rebel Plan
The Rebels Attack
The British Reaction

Aftermath:
Leaders executed
Public Reaction