all the easter rebels needed to do was to provoke the british, and in wartime that would not be difficult. if they succeeded in this basic aim, success of some sort, was guaranteed. discuss

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

‘All the Easter rebels needed to do was to provoke the British, and in wartime that would not be difficult. If they succeeded in this basic aim, success, of some sort, was guaranteed.’ Discuss.

The Easter Rising of 1916 had profound and far-reaching effects on Ireland's subsequent history. It has been referred to as "The Irish War of Independence" and was the pivotal event in ultimately securing independence for the Republic of Ireland. It was planned by men who feared that without a dramatic gesture of this kind, Ireland would remain an integral part of the United Kingdom. They saw the Rising as a last desperate attempt to save Irish nationality. For those of us who were born into an independent Irish State, and whose memories do not go back to the period of 1916, it is hard to fully comprehend the political atmosphere of the time and the fears that the insurgents felt. For them, it was clear that a violent step was needed in order to revive Irish nationalism and free her from alien rule.

For centuries, Ireland had been under English rule. Many had attempted rebellions before, but none had succeeded in obtaining what most of the Irish population desired – a free country, one in which they could claim back their rightful heritage as landowners. Although the Rebellion itself was rather feeble, it did have passionate roots. In earlier years, many important figures had united in an effort to solve the ‘Irish Question’ – the two most prominent of these being Eoin MacNeill and the ‘Irish Volunteers’ and John Redmond and the ‘National Volunteers’. Their general aim was to gain power in Ireland and, with the support of the Irish people, proclaim an independent Irish Republic. James Connolly also sensed the urgency of the situation. He urged rebellion in the summer of 1915. The IRB had to curb his impetuosity in January 1916 by assuring him of its determination to rise at Easter, and by co-opting him to the Military Council. Patrick Pearse, heralded as the most prominent figure in the Easter Rising, was often quick to remind others of the nobility of violent revolution, likening the Irish situation to Christ’s Sacrifice and the virtues of ‘blood sacrifice’. Indeed, he once had written: ‘Bloodshed is a cleansing and sanctifying thing… there are many things more horrible than bloodshed, and slavery is one of them’. Pearse was adamant that a putsch should go ahead sooner rather than later. Connolly, however, was much less of a radical compared to Pearse, and saw events with superior forethought. Being a follower of ‘hard-headed Marxian internationalist socialism’ he clearly believed that an Irish rebellion would not only ensure Irish independence, but would too influence European opinion so that the potential for establishing Socialist states throughout the continent could become very real. Connolly is recalled to have ‘had a notion that once a stand was made, however brief, in Dublin, the country would turn in a mass against the British government and overthrow it’. Again, the lack of success for the Rebellion cannot be placed with any substantial credibility on innate ideological miscarriages. It was more a question of imprecise coordination and poor planning that contributed to its weaknesses. Perhaps Connolly was too overly content with his belief that a small rising would be enough.

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By 1916, Britain was embroiled in the First World War, concentrating all her efforts on the German front. Leaders of the ‘Volunteers’ felt that whilst Britain was fighting in a great war, she would be most susceptible to Irish plans of revolution. ‘England’s difficulty would be Ireland’s opportunity’. The First World War was, after all, severely debilitating the resources of the British, who found the war effort extremely mentally and economically draining. It also left Anglo relations at an all time low. The Volunteers thought, prematurely, that this was the right time to take action. Irish Nationalists opened relations with Germany, and by April 1916, they were already in the midst of a plan to distribute arms and weaponry to the Irish. Twenty thousand German guns expected to arrive in time for the Rising were lost when the British intercepted the supply ship, the Aud, on the eve of the insurrection. MacNeill, hearing of this, cancelled the mobilization orders issued for Easter Sunday. The hastily rearranged Rising that began on Easter Monday was not, therefore, the intended insurrection. The Military Council had hoped that the rest of the country would still rebel, however, their plans, now thrown askew, were distinctly vague. The interception of the German arms and MacNeill’s countermanding order, added to the confusion. And so, the Rising was mainly confined to Dublin. It proved a military gallant but hopeless enterprise in the face of superior force, though it was to leave over 400 dead and about 3000 wounded.

Were the leaders of 1916 right in their belief that without a gesture such as the Rising the spirit of Irish nationality and the sense of national identity would flicker out? Certainly by their actions they revived a national consciousness that was then at a low ebb. They were men who suddenly found themselves convinced of what up till then they had felt only subconsciously – that the final end of the Irish nation was at hand, unless they acted dramatically to determine otherwise. For them, the alternatives were national extinction or, by a supreme effort on their part, the possibility of another lease of life for Irish nationality, out of which a free Ireland might somehow, some day, emerge. And this would be success, of some sort.

Were they justified in their fears for the survival of Ireland’s sense of nationhood? To answer this we must delve into the thinking of the Irish nation at the time. Home Rule was in the air. It had been promised for so long but yet had not materialized. They dreamed of an armed uprising, of a chance for their voice to be heard with fervor. Then came the Volunteers and the War. Would England finally be beaten and Ireland given her chance of autonomy? Redmond’s announcement that the Irish Volunteers would protect Ireland sent a whole other sentiment running through the country. The success of recruiting Volunteers for England’s defense drove home this sentiment. There was a subconscious awareness that the final end of the nation was at hand. For centuries England had held Ireland materially. But now she seemed to have a firm grasp. National identity was obliterated, not only politically, but also in the minds of the people. The Irish people, for the first time, began to recognize themselves as part of England.

This is where the necessity of the Rising arose. The need to re-awaken a spirit of nationalism which seemed to them to have died in the hearts of the great majority of our people. The onset of the Great War presented the Risings leaders with their window of opportunity. In actuality the Rising had resulted in failure, however, in a manifesto he composed shortly before he surrendered to save useless bloodshed, Pearse claimed that the rebels would have won but for the loss of the German weapons. Even Conolly himself had hoped for victory almost to the final moment of decision. The rebels had planned their rebellion to occur when they felt they had maximum chance of success, however limited this may have appeared in absolute terms. They knew they had the best chance of success if they were to provoke the British when she was at her weakest. If immediate success was not guaranteed, they hoped to at least revive Irish nationalism, and this would have been, at least, some sort of success. As far as the forward planning of the Rising was concerned, a balanced appraisal suggests that it was intended that if it should fail, then it should fail not only with honour, but with effect. The truth is that what mattered about the men of 1916 was not their ideas, but their ideals. If their ideas had been more advanced, their ideals might have been less clear and compelling. Men will follow into battle a leader who calls them to fight for freedom, but may not be inspired to do so by the author of a political philosophy. After Easter Week 1916 permanent English rule in Ireland became an impossibility. One tragedy was a triumph. Other tragedies were to follow before the Irish achieved their goal of independence, but the ground work had been laid.