WI: the Easter Rising leaders were not executed

This subject was touched on briefly in a thread I started in chat The Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916 was an utter failure which was put down within a week.

Fifteen leaders, including, all seven signatories of the declaration of Irish Independence, were executed by firing squad.

What if the leaders were not executed but imprisoned? Would this have butterflied aay the Irish War of Independence? If there was no war of independence what would have happened to Home Rule?
 
An awful lot of massively big deals (and not just Pearse and Connolly) are still alive as a result. The butterflies would be, IMO, completely unchartable. Ireland's entire 20th century history would be unrecognisable.
 
As stupid as the mass executions were I can't see no one being spared, they have committed an act of armed rebellion in the midst of a total war and there is suspicion that they've received support from the enemy, therefore a harsh reaction is inevitable. If it was just Pearse and some of the other ringleaders are the only ones executed then there may not have been the emotional impact, especially Connolly being shot sitting down. However even with the mass executions what really tipped the balance in Ireland was the use of internment and curfews in the aftermath that just succeeding in annoying people who had been ambivalent about the Rising and then of course the whole Conscription fiasco. Had these been avoided then Sinn Fein mightn't have grown so strongly in the following years.
 
As stupid as the mass executions were I can't see no one being spared, they have committed an act of armed rebellion in the midst of a total war and there is suspicion that they've received support from the enemy, therefore a harsh reaction is inevitable. If it was just Pearse and some of the other ringleaders are the only ones executed then there may not have been the emotional impact, especially Connolly being shot sitting down. However even with the mass executions what really tipped the balance in Ireland was the use of internment and curfews in the aftermath that just succeeding in annoying people who had been ambivalent about the Rising and then of course the whole Conscription fiasco. Had these been avoided then Sinn Fein mightn't have grown so strongly in the following years.

Thats a very valid point. People, steeped in the mythology, forget that the rebels killed more innocent Dubliners than they did British soldiers. I have seen it argued that the majority of public opinion, in Dublin, was firmly against the rebels (bear in mind the many Irish fighting in the Great War and what their families would make of these "stay at home heroes" as my grandfather called them). It was the excrutiating cruelty of the executions followed by the widespread, largely counterproductive repression that made the rebels popular.
 
Thanks for the comments. To be quite honest I'm not sure how it would affect things. If the War of Independence goes ahead and there were key players would they be more inclined to reject the Anglo irish treaty? If so then the IRA will be defeated.

If that kills the treaty and also home rule then what next? Questions, questions
 
I'd have to agree that the chances that they would get prison sentences rather than the death sentence might be pushing it, perhaps have them tried by Irish people instead. I think they would still get the death sentence but not in the same way.

If you want some of the leaders to survive perhaps have one get away from the buildings they had fortified?

As for the ramifications, if all the executions are avoided then it would depend on the actions of the British after the rising and post war. How would the Irish party be treated by the British Government, would they be sidelined as been proven unfaithful with knock on affects to their support in Ireland and their ability to get Home Rule

What and when the Home Rule legislation came through might also play a role.

The Southern Irish that volunteered did so for Home Rule, if it's delayed for significant time or Ulster is removed then those that fought might feel their sacrifice was for nothing. In that case the imprisoned Rising Leaders might serve as a rallying point.

After that the butterflies make things hard to see to be honest I think.
 
Thats a very valid point. People, steeped in the mythology, forget that the rebels killed more innocent Dubliners than they did British soldiers. I have seen it argued that the majority of public opinion, in Dublin, was firmly against the rebels (bear in mind the many Irish fighting in the Great War and what their families would make of these "stay at home heroes" as my grandfather called them). It was the excrutiating cruelty of the executions followed by the widespread, largely counterproductive repression that made the rebels popular.

That's certainly the viewpoint I've seen advanced most often. Essentially if the British settle for something less drastic then the rebels are seen essentially as terrorists and their movement flounders.
 
That's certainly the viewpoint I've seen advanced most often. Essentially if the British settle for something less drastic then the rebels are seen essentially as terrorists and their movement flounders.

Sure but would they during the height of WW1?

And depending on how the UK handle the aftermath post war would also affect how people would view the situation.
 
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