In Considering The Process Of Change In
In considering the process of change in the development of Irish Nationalism over the whole period 1800-1921, how far can the 1916 Easter rising be seen as the key turning point?
The period between the passing of the Act of Union in 1801 and the signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty in 1921 was the most turbulent time in Ireland’s history. The ‘many branched tree’1 of Irish nationalism developed substantially, dominating Irish politics. Throughout, there were two main strands of nationalism, the Constitutionalists and the Republicans. Despite both bearing the name of nationalists, they have throughout the period differed greatly in terms of opinion and methods. E. Norman believed that despite popular support, Constitutionalists such as Parnell and O’Connell were ‘radicals’ and ‘agitators.’ However one could argue that they represented the intentions of the majority in Ireland from 1820 to 1914, whilst Norman saw republican nationalists as ‘more properly designated as nationalists’ because they actually sought to create new models of social and governmental institutions2. The 1916 Easter rising was in itself a turning point in Irish nationalism however it must be assessed in the ‘essential context’3 of the Great War as it gave the 1916 uprising the appropriate conditions to take place. Without this catalyst, the rising would have imitated the previous failures, and did so initially. No other turning point in Irish history had the effect of the combination of 1916 and the war, in terms of pace and change that was achieved. While the Easter rising (in the context of the war) is commonly seen as the major turning point, in Irish nationalism, there were other important events also. The Great Famine inspired Fenianism and intensified Anglophobia whilst also reviving republican nationalism. Parnell’s leadership of the IPP galavanised the Home Rule campaign and united the two strands of nationalism.
The period between the passing of the Act of Union in 1801 and the signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty in 1921 was the most turbulent time in Ireland’s history. The ‘many branched tree’1 of Irish nationalism developed substantially, dominating Irish politics. Throughout, there were two main strands of nationalism, the Constitutionalists and the Republicans. Despite both bearing the name of nationalists, they have throughout the period differed greatly in terms of opinion and methods. E. Norman believed that despite popular support, Constitutionalists such as Parnell and O’Connell were ‘radicals’ and ‘agitators.’ However one could argue that they represented the intentions of the majority in Ireland from 1820 to 1914, whilst Norman saw republican nationalists as ‘more properly designated as nationalists’ because they actually sought to create new models of social and governmental institutions2. The 1916 Easter rising was in itself a turning point in Irish nationalism however it must be assessed in the ‘essential context’3 of the Great War as it gave the 1916 uprising the appropriate conditions to take place. Without this catalyst, the rising would have imitated the previous failures, and did so initially. No other turning point in Irish history had the effect of the combination of 1916 and the war, in terms of pace and change that was achieved. While the Easter rising (in the context of the war) is commonly seen as the major turning point, in Irish nationalism, there were other important events also. The Great Famine inspired Fenianism and intensified Anglophobia whilst also reviving republican nationalism. Parnell’s leadership of the IPP galavanised the Home Rule campaign and united the two strands of nationalism.