Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) followed the Irish War of Independence. It went along with the beginning of the Irish Free State. It was independent from the United Kingdom but stayed a part of the British Empire.

The conflict was between two opposing groups of Irish republicans over the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The forces of the "Provisional Government" (which became the Free State in December 1922) supported the Treaty. The Republican opposition saw it as a betrayal of the Irish Republic (which had been proclaimed during the Easter Rising). Many of those who fought in the conflict had been members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the War of Independence.

The Civil War was won by the Free State forces.John F. Morrison, The Origins and Rise of Dissident Irish Republicanism (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013), p. 8 They had many weapons provided by the British Government. The conflict may have claimed more lives than the War of Independence that went before it. It left Irish society divided and bitter for generations.Eric Zuelow, Making Ireland Irish: Tourism and National Identity Since the Irish Civil War (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2009), pp. xxii–xxiii About 927 people died during the civil war. 

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Category:1922 in Europe
Category:1923 in Europe
Category:Civil wars involving Europe
Category:1920s in Ireland
Category:1920s conflicts