Easter Rising 1916

[lithium]

On Easter Monday in April 1916 a revolutionary army marched through Dublin City, in what some have called Europe's first Socialist revolution, and captured a number of buildings in the Irish Capital. One of the buildings was the General Post Office, and from its steps the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read out to the People of Ireland.

I'd like to share with you all the words of the Proclamation, as this event in my nation's history, as I'm sure you can understand, is very important to me.

For more info on the Easter Rising and the War of Independence check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Rising and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence

POBLACHT NA H EIREANN
___________________________
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT
OF THE
IRISH REPUBLIC
TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND

IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN: In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.

Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment, and, supported by her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory.

We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish people. In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the last three hundred years they have asserted it to arms. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades-in-arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations.

The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all of its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.

Until our arms have brought the opportune moment for the establishment of a permanent National, representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected by the suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional Government, hereby constituted, will administer the civil and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people.

We place the cause of the Irish Republic under the protection of the Most High God. Whose blessing we invoke upon our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, in humanity, or rapine. In this supreme hour the Irish nation must, by its valour and discipline and by the readiness of its children to sacrifice themselves for the common good, prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is called.

Signed on Behalf of the Provisional Government.

Thomas J. Clarke,
Sean Mac Diarmada, Thomas MacDonagh,
P. H. Pearse, Eamonn Ceannt,
James Connolly, Joseph Plunkett

[LTPS]

Too much talk of ''God''. Pearse was a hardcore Catholic. Connolly and the ICA were the only socialist elements in the Rising. Pearse wouldn't even let women fight, it was Connolly.


The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all of its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.

That section seems like the one in which Connolly had the most input with its talk of equality. It was Lenin who described it as ''the first socialist revolution in Europe'', and to that extnt (Connolly and the ICA) I suppose it was.

Symbolically it is huge when it comes to Ireland, too bad it was a farce in military terms.

[chimx]

some historians have argued that the farce was purposeful--that the goal was martyrdom from the start, not a military victory.

[LoneRed]

just because some historians argued that, doesnt make it true.

for anyone of interest, when im done with my essay on this subject ill post it, no earlier than sunday.

[ComradeOm]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 02:25 PM
some historians have argued that the farce was purposeful--that the goal was martyrdom from the start, not a military victory.
That wouldn't surprise me. Pearse was a nationalist nutball.

[chimx]

Originally posted by [email protected] 21 2006, 06:57 PM
just because some historians argued that, doesnt make it true.
of course. i'm just pointing out that irish historiography often disagrees on the subject and one should be careful with stating absolutes.

[Qwerty Dvorak]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18 2006, 12:53 AM
in what some have called Europe's first Socialist revolution
Who? Who would have called it that?

[LoneRed]

many have called it that, most books ive read on it, they say that

[Janus]

It's debatable, of course. Of all the leaders, James Connolly was the only one truly dedicated to the socialist cause. I would consider it to be more of a nationalist uprising as most of the organizers didn't envision much economic change.

[ComradeOm]

Originally posted by RedStar1916+Apr 22 2006, 12:09 AM--> (RedStar1916 @ Apr 22 2006, 12:09 AM)
[email protected] 18 2006, 12:53 AM
in what some have called Europe's first Socialist revolution
Who? Who would have called it that? [/b]
Lenin I believe. He was quite impressed with the Rising, and later war, and shot down complaints from Trotsky et al that it wasn't a "pure" revolution.

[WeOnlyWantTheEarth]

Michael Collins thoughts on Padraig Pearse,are I suppose quite like my own.


Of Pearse and Connolly I admire the latter most. Connolly was a realist, Pearse the direct opposite . . . I would have followed [Connolly] through hell had such action being necessary. But I honestly doubt very much if I would have followed Pearse — not without some thought anyway

Pearse is still worthy of praise in my eyes, the worst thing he can be convicted of now is,as I said, of being an idealist. He still set out with the ultimate goal of freeing his country, and was willing to unite with the Irish Citizens Army to do so, and together they formed the Irish Republican Army, a fine example of unity then if there ever was one in Ireland, multiple groups, from Cumann na mBán to the ICA,working together to achieve the one goal.

The Easter Rising is something that should be remembered. Some in Ireland argue,"but the state was established years later,not in 16,so they failed".No,they did not.They got the ball rolling. The 1916 Rising was the event that inspired others to follow,republicans like Ernie O Malley have said how it was those men who inspired them to stand up and do something.

[LoneRed]

I just submitted the essay I wrote on the Easter Uprising to the article submission section, if it doesnt get accepted ill post it here or something

also, i thought this was cool

I was working on the essay, on Easter ;)

[PRC-UTE]

It's very popular these days to describe Pearse as a nationalist headcase, but the reality is somewhat more complex. He largely gets this image for his over-the-top rhetoric, though this was a reflection of the times.

Pearse was much more concerned with the conditions of the working class than is usually portrayed. Much of his writing, in particular near the end of his life, was about the terrible conditions in Dublin slums. It's believed by some that he began to be strongly influenced by Connolly's views.

Long before that he was renowned for his advanced education methods and his criticisms of the oppressive schools in the Murder Machine (http://website.lineone.net/~pearsebaby/MACHINE.htm). So much so that the socialist republican Peter O'Donnell compared Pearse to the anarchist educator Francisco Ferrer in his work on the Spanish Civil War.

[PRC-UTE]

I also meant to add that Pearse not only supported the workers locked out in 1913, but actually materially supported them, taking in some of their children and educating them.

To address the original topic, the Irish were the first to follow the communist maxim of turning the imperialist war into a civil war. At least a third of the forces engaged in the uprising promised to not relinquish their weapons until they'd achieved economic emancipation. That's why it's a bit odd they're almost condemned for being more nationalist or something. Self-determination and class struggle can go hand in hand.

[LoneRed]

the article got posted, its in the article submission forum, check it out guys!