How did Sinn Fein rise to power?

In 1910 the whole of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom but a 1918 election saw a new political party rise to power - one that wanted to break ties with Britain. But how had this obscure party risen so quickly?

Watch the video on this lesson here:

This video is part of our school series 'Representation, Protest and Political Movement’, which looks at the intersection of economics, politics and history and the effect on modern society. It is based on the published research Representation of the People: Franchise Extension and the “Sinn Féin Election” in Ireland, 1918 (Alan de Bromhead, Alan Fernihough, Enda Hargaden). It is part of political economy - a branch of economics that studies how political decisions and public opinion interact with economic and social factors.

The research highlights that:

In 1918, voting rights in Ireland expanded dramatically, nearly tripling the number of eligible voters—but this wasn’t the main reason for Sinn Féin’s landslide victory in that year’s general election.New female voters were less likely to support Sinn Féin, and new male voters were no more supportive than the existing electorate. Many women did not vote at all.A statistical analysis of Ireland’s voters suggests that Sinn Féin’s success was driven more by shifting public opinion—particularly towards rebellion and independence—than by changes in the electorate’s size or composition.

The lesson includes a fully-resourced 1-hour (or similar) lesson, with worksheets, prompts and differentiated tasks.

The Sinn Féin party that won in 1918 is not the same organisation as the modern Sinn Féin, although they share the same name.

The project is a partnership between Discover Economics, the ESRC CAGE Research Centre and the All-Ireland Centre of Excellence in Economics, History and Policy (CEPH). Please visit https://www.discovereconomics.co.uk/ for further information.