The Easter Uprising was a failure. It lacked the support of the general public and was defeated by the British military. At the time of the Uprising, there was greater support for Constitutional Nationalism, which supported Home Rule. Their people believed that Home Rule was a step toward complete independence without the violence and blood shed which was a proposed solution of the Revolutionary Nationalists. Both Connolly and Pearse understood that the Uprising would fail but they hoped that their efforts would open the doors to freedom and unify the nationalist movement. “According to William O’Brien, on the day of the insurrection Connolly said to him ‘We are going out to be slaughtered.’ He said ‘Is there no chance of success?’ and Connolly replied ‘None whatsoever’”7 Pearse had expressed a similar idea in a poem. “ ‘ I have turned my face to the road before me, to the deed that I see and the death I shall die’”8 They were right on both accounts.
The Easter Uprising had failed on the military account for a few reasons. The Uprising had confounding difficulties because of the lack of confidence amongst the leaders. MacNeill who had learned of the Uprising called the Uprising off the day before and then the other leaders attempted to reorganize it for the following day. This confusion caused there to be fewer participants in the Uprising than had been planned for. The Uprising was to have occurred through out Ireland but instead it ended up being contained within Dublin making it easier for the British to gain control.9 It also failed on a military account because they were unable to defeat Britain, although this was expected to happen. The failure of the military was part of the impact of effects of that week upon the mind of the nation.
Even though the Easter Uprising was considered a failure, the leaders were able to achieve success through Britain’s mistakes. In their attempt to gain control of the situation, Britain had chosen the routes into the cities that were guarded even though there were many safe accessible routes in to the city.10 This could be part of an offensive strategy to weaken their spirits and moral by killing as many of the rebelling Irish as possible. This would provide the peoples of Ireland who had supported Constitutional Nationalism to begin to sway towards the rebels’ side. What did truly create the loss of support in Constitutional Nationalism was Britain’s decision to execute the rebel leaders. The execution of fifteen leaders, seven were the signatories on the and the eight others were leaders of other groups involved, over the next twelve days would be the final act to create a change in the support towards Revolutionary Nationalism.11 The execution of Connolly was considered the most savage because he had to be propped up due to his injuries in order to face the firing squad.12 This would be Britain’s largest mistake. They had created martyrs out of the leaders of the rebels. Revolutionary Nationalism requires heroes and martyrs because it provides a unifying focus, which Ireland had been lacking until this time. would acknowledge the success of the Uprising because of the choices Britain had made.
This other his helper and friend
Was coming into his force,
He might have won fame in the end….
No, no, not night but death
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said. 13
The sacrifice of the few leaders would eventually lead Ireland to the goals set by the Proclamation. The door to freedom was opened to Ireland.
The Easter Uprising created not only martyrs for the cause but also other significantly important symbols for Ireland to hold in the face of freedom. The General Post Office (GPO) is an important symbol of the fight during the Uprising because it was used as the General Headquarters of the rebels.14 The building was destroyed by the British Military in an attempt to have the rebels to surrender, which did not occur until Sunday April 30.15 The GPO was also the site where the two flags were first hoisted to replace the British one. The two flags were also symbols of the times. There was the one flag of the Irish Republic that was green with a gold harp in the center. The second is now the flag of the Republic.16 Just outside of the GPO was the Proclamation, Poblacht Na H Eireann. It stated that the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and guaranteed the religious freedom and civil liberties to ensure happiness within the nation.17 The Proclamation was only read to a small group of people at the beginning of the Uprising but it would become the goal of Revolutionary Nationalism. These goals would also be restated in the on the 21st of January 1919.
Britain had created the necessary tools to create a unity amongst the dispersed forms of Nationalism found in Ireland. The deaths of the leader provide martyrs and heroes for Revolutionary Nationalism. Britain caused the Easter Uprising to be a successful venture and therefore the once ignored symbols of the Uprising had now become important symbols of freedom. The beginning of change in nationalism in Ireland had been set in motion. The Constitutional Nationalism support would fall shortly after the Easter Uprising. Constitutional Nationalism fell because of Britain’s choices during the Uprising. If a government was so willing to execute the rebels in an untried fashion, and were unable to provided the promise of Home Rule, it is possible that they never would. The people of Ireland saw Britain’s actions as determinates of their intent for continuance of government, without Home Rule. With this hope undermined, the support of Constitutional Nationalism fell, and the support for Revolutionary Nationalism gained.
