Michael Collins Research Paper

Michael Collins Research Paper

“We repudiated the British form of governmen¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬t not because it was m¬onarchi¬cal, but because it was British.” – M¬i¬¬c¬h¬a¬e¬l C¬ollins (25)

In this paper, I intend to illustrate Michael Collin’s brief life: His childhood, his influences, and how and why he helped Ireland achieve its independence. Collins was born in Ireland; an island located west of England. He grew up in the 1890’s: around the time of Thomas Edison and George Gershwin. Around that time, the neighboring England had already been in control over Ireland for more than 700 years, and the people of the Emerald Isle were rebelling against British rule. What was considered a rather happy time for many countries (“The Gay Nineties” in
He was tended to be considered as more of a soldier and less of a politician. His first real experience with violence was in 1916 when he participated in the Easter Rising. This rebellion (explain ER. 4,7,37 and aftermath=8). Collins freed many of the captured in 1919. He also worked for the Irish Republican Brothers (IRB), an extreme political club fighting for independence. He worked on the Irish National Aid and Volunteers' Dependents' Fund, but mostly as a disguise: He traveled a lot, and that allowed him transportation for his main focus - working for the IRB. However his violent side really came out when he became the director of intelligence for the Irish Republican Army, or IRA (another political group participating in the struggle for Irish Independence, doing a lot of fighting). As director, Collins preformed the operation he is most known for: Guerrilla war. He planned the assassinations of countless British agents (serving in Ireland), which led to a mass scare: as many as 200 British police officers quit their job every month and returned to England. His immediate goal was to rid Ireland of British control by killing all of its officers in Ireland. This violent plan was doing its job: With a lot less officers, Britain could not enforce its law efficiently, and Ireland was on its way to independence. Collins used the skills he had earned as a boy: Observation came in
His personal goal was different than the goal of most people. Theirs was full political freedom for Ireland, and to kick out Britain. Eventually, that was achieved. However, Collins’ goal, was not fully achieved until a much later time. And, the process that got his goal also did the opposite of what he wanted. He wanted there to be no divides, but all the fighting and suffering only made the divides worse. And today, Northern Ireland is actually still a part of Britain. But the prosperity Ireland has today fulfils Collins’ goals and wishes. Michael Collins, the dedicated, nationalistic man who died shortly before the fruits of his labor appeared, played a very important role in the struggle for Irish independence. He was a major player in many independence movements such as the IRB, IRA, Sinn Fein, and Dail Erraine. The stories that he heard about Ireland as a little boy made him a chauvinist, who was prepared to fight and protect his great country. He was intelligent, and proved himself so even in elementary school. He was aware of the ever growing divide between the Irish people, as one side resented the British, while the other appreciated and wanted to stay connected to them. He joined the political clubs and from a young age formulated his goals of what he wanted Ireland to have and be. His most defining and influential feat was his guerilla fighting and assassinations which drove the British into proposing