AHC: Communist Ireland post WWI

Given the influence of the Irish Catholic Church this is difficult but not ASB. There was the self proclaimed Limerick Soviet in 1919 so something that prevents that from falling and causing pro-communist feeling to spread is needed. But given the prevailing attitudes of the time, asthe article mentions the "Communists" were deeply religious and even prayed the Angelus, its difficult to see how.

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_Soviet
 
hmmm

The "Soviets" in Ireland were essentially Nationalist units. Its like calling FDR a Socialist. A meaningless use of the name.
There were one or two other "Soviets" in Tipperary and Kerry at one stage, one lead by the local priest the other the local businessman.

So while there's some revisionism going on the state of Ireland at the time was very anti-communist at the grassroots level. The best example of this is when Larkin returned from Russia and tried Communism as an electoral platform - his support disintegrated.

Theres only two ways you get a Communist Ireland in the 20th Century
- its imposed by foreign(British) Communist occupation
- its run the Catholic Church (which isn't what we'd see as Communism)
 
Could a Chile/Venezuela-esque socialist state be built up by a surviving James Connolly? Not communism I know, but on the general point of moving Ireland leftwards.
 
mm

Connolly would never have had the support needed to get the state to go that level leftward.
Basically if 1916 executions don't happen (for him to survive) then the War of Independence doesn't happen and our looking at a home rule state rather OTL.
 
While I agree that getting Ireland to a communist viewpoint is extremely difficult (just look at the hard lefts election results over the years), perhaps if the 1913 lock out had gone differently a stronger hard left position might have been possible?
 

Pangur

Donor
While I agree that getting Ireland to a communist viewpoint is extremely difficult (just look at the hard lefts election results over the years), perhaps if the 1913 lock out had gone differently a stronger hard left position might have been possible?

Not even sure that would have swung the matter as far as required. You may well have seen a more left wing Dublin and maybe Cork however don;t forget that at the time Ireland was very much a rural country population wise. and they would not have changed much. Either way the national question was the dominant question and hence there was in effect no room for a large communist party
 
and

Even the lock out had limited support outside Dublin in regards socialism, it received some nationalist support but i think 1913 showed the max extent of socialism in Ireland.
 
Not even sure that would have swung the matter as far as required. You may well have seen a more left wing Dublin and maybe Cork however don;t forget that at the time Ireland was very much a rural country population wise. and they would not have changed much. Either way the national question was the dominant question and hence there was in effect no room for a large communist party

Even the lock out had limited support outside Dublin in regards socialism, it received some nationalist support but i think 1913 showed the max extent of socialism in Ireland.

Oh I agree that it would still be extremely difficult, Ireland has never gone heavily left or right and the National Question was certainly the dominate issue. After WW1 I don't see any POD that would get a Communist Ireland.
 
Larkin

Big Jim Larkin DID RETURN TO IRELAND in the 20's.
And completely screwed the Labour Party electorally by his Communism.
(Also possibility committed theft of Trade Union funds though this is only suspected not proven)
And him coming back earlier is only likely to destroy Labour electorally before it OTL got started. Jim Larkin was a great man in many ways but he did have faults as well.
 
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