August 22, 1922

On this day in history in 1922 Irish revolutionary Michael Collins was assassinated.

Fighting for Change

In the early 20th century many people in Ireland began fighting for independence from their British rule. The political party Sinn Fein was particularly dedicated to achieving independence for all of Ireland. Michael Collins was a leader among this party, which became an unofficial political wing of militant groups.

Michael Collins

In 1911 the Liberal Party within the British government, which favored social reform and personal liberty, approved negotiations for Irish Home Rule. Home Rule meant Ireland would be self-governing while still within the United Kingdom. However, the Conservative party in Parliament opposed Home Rule and its plans were shot down. Any other plans for Home Rule were delayed even further with the outbreak of World War I. Collins worked with other Irish nationalists to stage the Easter Rising of 1916 in response. This was a rebellion of about 1,600 followers against the British government. They seized prominent buildings in Dublin with the insurrection lasting a week and killing or wounding more than 2,000 people.

In 1918 Sein Fein won a majority in national elections and the party established an Irish parliament, which declared Ireland a sovereign republic. One year later Collins led Irish volunteers in launching guerrilla campaigns against British forces. Two years later a cease-fire was declared and a peace treaty with Great Britain granted autonomy to Southern Ireland.

In January 1922 Arthur Griffith was elected the first Irish president and Collins was appointed his finance minister. However, just seven months later Michael Collins was assassinated by Republican extremists.