The First World War Created the Opportunity, the Irish Republican Brotherhood Provided the Means' Is This an Adequate Explanation for the Outbreak of the 1916 Rising?

Ð''The first World War created the opportunity, the Irish Republican Brotherhood provided the means' Is this an adequate explanation to an extent as the First World War did provide the right opportunity as the Republican slogan at the time was Ð''England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity'. Yes the IRB did prove the means to an extent, however there are other factors such as Ulster resistance to Home Rule, New Nationalism, The Military Council, Pearse and Connolly and Britain. All these factors played a part in providing the right conditions for the outbreak of the 1916 Rising.

The outbreak of WW1 in 1914 provided the IRB revolutionaries with the opportunity to strike at England during her greatest difficulty in her history. WW1 spilt the Home Rule movement into two different camps, those who supported the war and those who didn't. The war also caused many Home Rulers to question Home Rule, under Home Rule they would still have to fight in a war for Britain, many began to question this as the war went on. The Great War created a political vacuum within Ireland, as the IPP and Redmond had not been seen in public since the Woodenbridge Speech, radical Nationalists such as the IRB used this to their advantage. Thus the IRB were able to increase their influence virtually overnight.

The War Office's bad handling of the Nationalist volunteers and the Governments refusal to form a Home Defence Force for Ireland contributed to the increasing Anti Ð'- British feeling in Ireland. The Coalition Government formed in 1915 also played a key role, Carson of the Ulster Unionist was a member of the Cabinet, whereas Redmond had turned down the position. It was thus clear to the Irish Nationalists that any cabinet that enlisted Carson within its ranks was unlikely to implement Home Rule. The War also removed the Ð''crÐ"Ёme de la crÐ"Ёme' of Redmond's National Volunteers, as by 1915 it's most enthusiastic and most able-bodied members were in France.

However the Ulster Unionist resistance to Home Rule also played a key role in providing the means by which made a Rising possible. Carson had organized a huge private army (UVF) and obtained 25,000 from Germany. Ð''Clearly Carson had brought the gun back into Irish politics' Rees. Thus Carson had given a boost to the Old Fenian Tradition within Nationalism of using force to win Irish Freedom. Ð''Carson relit the Fenian flame' The North Began.

Long before WW1 the development of New Nationalism had begun to breed men like Pearse, who were already committed to a romantic vision of a free and Gaelic Ireland. It was organizations such as the Gaelic League that helped to bring a whole generation of you men to Nationalism. It was through the Gaelic League that the revival of the Irish Language provided Ireland with the claim to a separate nationality. It also helped to develop further the Ð''romantic revolutionary spirit'. The IRB were able to successfully infiltrate many of the Gaelic League branches, finally achieving almost complete control when Douglas Hyde resigned as President in 1913. By July the League's constitution was amended so that the League would Ð''devote itself to realizing the ideal of a free Gaelic Ð'- speaking Ireland.'

By 1913 IRB members filled most of the senior positions within the newly formed Irish Volunteers. The Woodenbridge spilt allowed the IRB to capture key positions within McNeill's IVF movement. Pearse became the Director of Military Organization, MacDonagh the Director of Training and Plunkett became the Director of Military Operations. Ð''The IVF is an open movement being penetrated by THE secret movement.' F.S.L Lyons. As the Rising drew closer the Executive of the IRB decided that a Rising would go ahead despite popular opinion. The Military Council of the IRB is considered the single most important factor in the planning of the Rising. It was formed in 1915 and Pearse, MacDonagh and Ceannt were all members, Clark, MacDermott and Connolly later joined them. The Supreme Council of the IRB knew nothing of the Military Council. The Council was the Ð''perfect fusion of traditional physical force, republican element and the younger romantic revolutionaries' Rees.

Padraig Pearse also played a key role in setting the conditions for a rising in 1916. He had come through the Gaelic League and was deeply influenced by the mythical hero