On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, a force of Irishmen attempted to seize Dublin, with the ultimate intention of eliminating British rule and creating a completely independent Ireland. Their leaders, such as Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, knew that they were destined to die, but saw the importance of independence, thus the rebellion was inevitable. In the eyes of many the rebellion was a complete failure, with the loss of lives and damage of buildings, but in the eyes of many Irish patriots the rebellion was a complete success as it promoted Irish nationalism and ultimately lead to an independent Ireland. The circumstances that lead to the rebellion are of an intense complexity, historical, social, political and psychological, and the rebellion itself has lasting impacts on society today. Since 1603, when Ireland was for the first time effectively united under British rule, Irish history has been dictated by the British, and the poor relationship between Ireland and Britain. The root of the problem was that Ireland was a mainly Roman Catholic country ruled by Protestant foreigners, colonial administrators acting on behalf of a Protestant Government far away.
During the 18 th century, the Irish Catholics were deprived of all rights, as one English judge brutally put it: “The law does not suppose any such person to exist as an Irish Roman Catholic.” The Irish could only assume that the English did not regard them as human beings at all, and this was clearly seen in the Great Famine of the 19 th century. The Great Famine of 1845-1851 was crucial in shaping Ireland’s attitudes towards British rule and leading to the nationalism that provoked the eventual uprising of 1916. The peasants lived on potatoes, it was their only crop, and when the crop was killed by disease famine struck. The potato was primarily grown because it could produce a relatively high yield with little intensive care.
The Essay on How British Rule was bad for India
One way in which British Rule did not help India was that they had a detrimental effect on Indian Trade. India at the time was a key producer of cotton but when the British came into power they also brought cheaper cotton from Britain. This meant that many cotton factories were being forced out of business by cheaper cotton abroad. In a sense the British were deindustrialising India. If British ...
Many though relied on the crop and that is why the famine of 1845-1849 was so catastrophic. Ireland had a population of 8 million before the famine, 1 million died from the famine and another 1-2 million immigrated to America. Ireland’s population, which had grown so strongly throughout the 18 th century and early 19 th century, had been shattered. The impact that the famine had on 1916 was simple: the English were blamed for the famine. The starving Irish could not understand why their crops of wheat were sent to England whilst they were dying. They could not understand why the Government – always willing to pass laws to damage Irish trade and economic interests – would give no help.
The famine made the Irish realise that they need to take responsibility for their own affairs, and not rely on the leadership of other countries. This idea and the deep hatred for British rule by many Irish significantly shaped many values that the Irish held towards the English leading up to 1916, and still hold today. The issue of Home Rule had a great impact on the eventual uprising, and was an important issue for all Irish. Many in Ireland saw the right to self government important in the development of an independent Irish state, and the British themselves were attempting to give at least some form of Home Rule.
British Prime Minister Gladstone proposed several Home Rule Bills however the Liberals and The House of Lords rejected them all. In 1914 a Home Rule Bill was passed, however Northern Ireland would not accept to this, and with World War I looming, the government decided to delay the issue of Home Rule until after the war. This was satisfactory for many in Ireland, who saw the war as the number one priority over all other issues, but others were not so satisfied. It was generally these people who lead the uprising in 1916, those who saw Home Rule as a crucial issue which would not wait. The issue led to the establishment of many crucial groups, including the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a nationalist group that was the driving force behind the uprising.
The Essay on How the 1691 Irish rebellion inmtinsified the Irish reputation for barbarianism
The English had long held views on the Irish as being a ‘barbaric' people before the rebellion of 1641, but this rebellion served to intensify and bring to the fore these opinions. In order to fully comprehend the enhancing of these views from after the rebellion, one must fully understand what the pre-existing views were.The first and most prudent place to start when discussing these ...
The leaders of the IRB, including Patrick Pearse and Thomas MacDonagh, had very violent had idealistic views of a nationalist uprising. They had not been pleased with the Home Rule process, and viewed concessions made by the British Government as mere “crumbs from the rich man’s political table.” It is clear that the IRB aspired not to an Ireland with a degree of autonomy under the crown, but to a free, independent republic. The IRB were a passionate group, and a group that would go to the limit for what they wanted, including the use of violence. The IRB saw the First World War as the chance that they needed, and guided by the old Fenian dictum that “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity”, the insurrection was planned. It is clear that the rebellion was a complete military failure for a number of reasons. The rebels, in comparison to their opposition had very limited military supplies and volunteers, making the rebellion itself destined to fail.
The rebels were outnumbered roughly 8 to 1 and unlike their counterparts were not highly trained in battle. Plans were made to enlist German aid, but they all went wrong. Sir Roger Casement went to recruit an Irish brigade from prisoners of war in Germany, but failed. The IRB had arranged for a German ship to land rifles and ammunition in support of the rising, but due to a confusion of timing, the ship was discovered by the British.
Finally many who were intending to take part in the rebellion did not due to conflicting information about dates. The leader of the Irish Volunteers, McNeill, was disheartened by the fact that no weapons had been obtained and called the rebellion off. The other leaders were still willing to go on with the rebellion, and whilst on the surface agreeing with McNeill, they had given orders that the rising would still go on. As a result of this many men did not hear correct dates, times and places, and therefore the numbers intended to be fighting at the rising were dramatically cut. The result of these factors was a general confusion that doomed the rising from the start.
The Essay on The Troubles In Northern Ireland
The troubles in Northern Ireland Many people only have a limited idea about what these infamous “troubles” in the North of Ireland really were. Hopefully this article will shed some light on the matter. In the past the vast majority of violent acts and attitudes of discrimination towards minority groups have been based on blacks or the Jews, often leaving religious wars to the olden day Europe. ...
Other mistakes, such as the failure to seize the telephone exchange, meant that the rebels essentially had no chance. Did this mean that the rebellion was ‘destined to fail’, certainly in terms of a military battle, but in terms of the effects the rising had on Irish society, it has to be seen that the rebellion had many successful impacts. The rebellion was not necessarily a complete failure, and many of the aims of the leaders were eventually realised. Pearse, who was instrumental in organising the rising and constructing the declaration of the republic, knew that it was unlikely that their forces would be able to defeat the British Army in a military battle. The famous words, “The day is coming when I shall be shot, swept away, and my colleagues like me… We ” ll all be shot”, as spoken by Pearse to his mother, highlight the fact that many of the leaders realised that the rising was doomed to a military failure, but had greater goals in sight.
Similarly Michael Collins stated: “I want peace and quiet. I want it so much I’d die for it.” Collins words exemplify the fact that although the leaders of the rising were undertaking a bloody and sacrificial endeavor, deep down it was peace and quiet which motivated them. It was believed that their actions could still contribute to the cause through a ‘blood sacrifice’ that would provoke a great surge in nationalism, and essentially, an ongoing fight for independence. It appears as though many of the rebels were quite prepared to have their rebellion mercilessly crushed by the British, as they felt this process would inevitably advance their cause. The words of Pearse, at his court martial in 1916, echo the beliefs of the leaders: “To refuse to fight is to lose, to fight is to win, we have kept faith with the past and handed a tradition to the future.” For the leaders, winning the battle was not the aim; the aim was laying the foundation for the people of Ireland to fight for what they believed in, and ultimately what they deserved. In many ways it can be seen that the rebellion was therefore a success, new life was breathed into the movement for independence.
The Essay on Failure of Tudor Rebellions
The majority of rebellions during Tudor England – 1485-1603 – did not carry out their principal objectives and reasons of this can be harshly classified by category in consequence of the weakness in the rebellion, or of the force of the reigning monarch. For example the poor control of a revolt beside the purely localised complaints would not have probably led to a successful rebellion and can be ...
The executed leaders had changed public opinion dramatically, during the rising they were seen as foolish and radical, after their executions they received status as martyrs and heroes. Clearly, from a purely military based perspective, the rebellion can be seen to be an utter failure, but the bigger picture shows that the success of the rebellion can not be undermined, as it resulted in a great revival of nationalism and eventually, the establishment of the Republic of Ireland in 1948. In the book, The Modern World since 1870, it is said of Pearse: “Looking back one can see that his death lit a flame which illuminated Ireland’s path to independence.” It must be understood that the Easter Rising was never designed for military victory, it was in the desire of freedom, and in this regard the rebellion can not be seen as a ‘failure’. The Irish Rebellion, stemming from a history of oppression and neglect by the British, was always inevitable. Although the rising was a clear military failure, the legacy of the rising means that it can be seen as a success – it did achieve many of the aims of the leaders. The purpose of the insurrection was not to win the battle, but to leave the legacy to the Irish people that without struggle there is no progress.
New nationalism was inspired, and in 1948, with the establishment of the Republic of Ireland, the rising was finally seen as a politically and socially successful movement.
