The Resurrection of Ireland
The Sinn Féin Party, 1916–1923

An analysis of the political organisation of Irish republicanism after the Easter Rising of 1916.

Michael Laffan (Author)

9780521672672, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 November 2005

532 pages, 19 b/w illus.
22.8 x 15.1 x 3.2 cm, 0.84 kg

'A scholarly but very readable book.' Irish Times

Between 1916 and 1923 Ireland experienced a political, as well as a military revolution. This book examines how, after the Easter Rising of 1916, radical revolutionaries formed a precarious coalition with (relatively) moderate politicians, and offers a sustained analysis of the political organisation of Irish republicanism during a crucial period. The new Sinn Féin party routed its enemies, co-operated uneasily with the underground Irish government, which it had helped to create, and achieved most of its objectives before disintegrating in 1922. Its rapid collapse should not distract from its achievements - in particular its role in 'democratising' the Irish revolution. Its successors have dominated the political life of independent Ireland. The book studies in detail the party's membership and ideology, and also its often tense relationship with the Irish Republican Army. A final chapter examines the fluctuating careers of the later Sinn Féin parties throughout the rest of the twentieth century.

Prologue. Before the Easter Rising: 1. Irish nationalists: politicians and rebels
The Irish Revolution: 2. 1916: rebellion and hibernation
3. 1917: organisation and converts
4. 1918: reverses and victory
5. The party: structures and members
6. Policy: beliefs and attitudes
7. 1919–21: war and repression
8. 1919–21: ministers and bureaucrats
9. 1921–2: the treaty and the split
10. 1922–3: the Pact election and the civil war
Epilogue: After the Civil War
11. Irish republicans: fundamentalists and compromisers
Sources.

Subject Areas: 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], British & Irish history [HBJD1]