The Civil War

Title: The Civil WarKeywords:• Pro-treaty• Anti-treaty• Rory O’Connor• Liam Lynch• Four Courts• Richard Mulcahy• Kevin O’Higgins• Munster Republic• The ‘Irregulars’

Causes of the Civil

war

The Treaty

The Split of the IRA Failure of the Collins/De Valera pact

Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson

Weakness of provisional government

Actions of the anti-treaty IRA

Civil war documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl66ixAXm_A

The Treaty• The main cause of the Civil War• Those opposed believed it was a betrayal of the republic• Those supporting argued that it was a “stepping stone

to freedom” or “the freedom to achieve freedom”. • Split the Dáil cabinet - Collins, Griffith, Barton and

Cosgrave in favour - DeValera, Brugha and Stack against • The Dáil had voted 64 votes to 57 votes in favour • DeValera resigned as President of the Dáil

• Mulcahy wanted the IRA to form the basis of national army for the Free State

• IRA commanders disagreed Treaty• Opposition was particularly strong in Munster • An IRA Army Convention in March 1922 rejected the

authority of the Dáil• This causes a split in the IRA

The split in the IRA

Divisions • The divisions between the Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty sides grew greater and often friends and families were divided.• As the British withdrew from their barracks, different groups of Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty IRA members competed to occupy them.

The Anti-Treaty IRA became known as Republicans or The Irregulars

The Pro-Treaty IRA became known as The Free State Army or The Regulars

Weakness of provisional government• It was only temporary, not permanent• There was to be a 12-month period of gradual transfer

of power from British • The provisional government had no constitution or

status and the Dáil government was still in existence• This added to the impression of confusion and chaos of

who was actually in charge • The Free State government finally came into existence

on 6th December 1922

The Slide to Civil War • A group of Republicans or Irregulars took over the Four

Courts in Dublin• They issued a declaration refusing to recognise the

Provisional Government. • They declared the Four Courts to be the headquarters of

the Republican government. • Collins was reluctant to take direct action against them• The new government was to be put under pressure by the

British to deal with the anti-treaty forces

Actions of the anti-treaty IRA• The anti-treaty IRA made it clear that they had no

intention of losing the initiative. • They disputed the takeover of RIC and British army

barracks by attacking the barracks.• In April 1922 under the leadership of Rory O’Connor,

they seized the Four Courts and other strongholds in Dublin

• The anti-treaty forces were able to get considerable supplies of arms from RIC and British barracks.

1922 Election• Supporters and opponents of the treaty agreed to a pact to

not run against each other in the election • All candidates to stand as Sinn Féin candidates with the aim

of forming a coalition government in which the anti-treaty members would get positions on the National Executive.

• Collins rejected the pact just before the election. • In the June 1922 election the pro-treaty side won 58 seats

to the anti-treaty 36 seats. • Some argue an election earlier in the year would have

calmed the situation down• The election showed a majority in favour of the Treaty and

this strengthened the government’s legitimacy

• The out break of hostilities came with the assassination of Sir Henry Wilson in London

• Wilson was blamed for attacks on Catholics in the North.• The British government informed Collins that they could

no longer tolerate the situation in the Four Courts • The British believed that the commanders in the Four

Courts had ordered the assassination• Collins took the decision to attack the Four Courts on

28th June. • The immediate effect was to polarise the conflict and the

Civil war had begun.

Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson