As a result the party ‘has remained something of an enigma’ (p. xi). Cumann na nGaedheal, which had been the governing party since 1922, was defeated by Fianna Fáil, which became the largest party in the chamber and formed a government with the support of the Labour Party. The exhibition shows a series of Cumann na nGaedheal posters and fliers mainly taken from the 1932 general election. Merger On 8 September 1933, Cumann na nGaedheal members from across the Free State travelled to Dublin for what would prove to be their last national conference as an independent party. Nevertheless, Meehan admits that, at least in 1933, ‘Fianna Fáil’s organizational efficiency ultimately trumped Cumann na nGaedheal’s electioneering ingenuity’ (p. 206). ( Log Out /  John McCarthy has argued, at least in the case of O’Higgins, that the actual experience of being in power tended to moderate more youthful, revolutionary impulses. Until 1932, Cumann na nGaedheal continued to form the government of the Irish Free State, with Cosgrave as President of the Executive Council, or prime minister. Cumann na nGaedheal regained most of the ground lost in June, winning 62 seats and 39% of the vote, although most of these gains were from potential allies. The second Cumann na nGaedheal did not come into existence until more than a year later, on 27 April 1923 when the pro-Treaty TDs recognised the need for a party organisation to win elections. Europe and the wider world topic 3: Dictatorship and democracy in Europe, Church-State relations in Italy and Germany, Mussolini’s internal and external policies, Mussolini’s rise and consolidation of power, Europe and the wider world topic 5: European retreat from empire and the aftermath, Ireland topic 2: Movements for social and political reform, Ireland topic 3: The pursuit of sovereignty and the impact of partition, Cumann na nGaedheal governments, 1923-1932, Ireland topic 5: Politics and society in Northern Ireland, What you need to be studying for the leaving cert. The motive for this disinterest, according to Meehan, was that the leaders of Cumann na nGaedheal genuinely put the interests of the state before those of their own party. Cosgrave apparently made a number of key decisions alone, including his savvy decision to call a snap election in September 1927. ( Log Out /  A month earlier he had been welcomed as Ireland’s first spokesman at the assembly of the League of Nations. Fianna Fáil would be the largest party in Dáil Éireann at every general election until 2011. That argument would have dovetailed nicely with Meehan’s emphasis on the fact that state formation preceded party formation, but, again, it is not developed in The Cosgrave Party. Fianna Fáil was able to draw on Cumann Na nGaedheal’s achievements and consolidate democracy, but ironically did so by democratically undermining the Treaty settlement that Cumann Na nGaedheal had spent so much effort Provocatively, Meehan primarily seeks evidence for this assertion in the period 1927–32, precisely those years that the majority of historians find most indicative of Cumann na nGaedheal’s listlessness. The social policy of the Cumann na nGaedheal Government was in line with it’s (its) economic policy. This shift to the right, however imprecisely defined, did not mean that Cumann na nGaedheal became backward-looking, traditional, or hidebound, as the party remained, in Meehan’s view, active and productive under the post-O’Higgins leadership of men equally high-minded and dedicated to the state. #625Lab – History, marked 72/100, detailed feedback at the very bottom.You may also like: Leaving Cert History Guide (€). Meehan asserts that free-trader J. J. Walsh probably opposed Cosgrave on tariff policy, citing Liam de Roiste’s diary, but there is little direct evidence of Cosgrave’s personal views on economic policy. No opposition not good for democracy. Led by W.T. The government seemed unconcerned about this distance, although cabinet ministers repeatedly assured party members and TDs that their voices would be heard more in the future. Cumann na nGaedhael was set up and led by Cosgrave and O Higgins. The need to create a party supporting the government was not immediate. As Meehan notes, ‘when the party’s position was threatened, it would respond to the challenge’ (p. 82). The second Cumann na nGaedheal did not come into existence until more than a year later, on 27 April 1923 when the pro-Treaty TDs recognised the need for a party organisation to win elections. The record of its achievements, as cataloged in The Cosgrave Party, includes the preservation of Irish democracy, the promotion of Irish pride at home and abroad, the winning of Irish sovereignty through the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and the aggressive countering of Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil in Free State elections. As a result, Cosgrave retained the respect of his Cabinet colleagues and of the party at large, with even Kevin O’Higgins apparently disavowing any ambition toward party leadership. Sinn Fein did better than expected but adopted the abstentionist policy. Cumann na nGaedheal was the name of the antecedent nationalist umbrella organisation to Sinn Féin formed in 1900 (see Cumann na nGaedheal (1900)). An analysis of elections reveals the party’s ‘professional side’, and its combativeness. Consolidation of democracy, 1922-1949; Cultural identity; Cumann na nGaedheal governments, 1923-1932; Éamon de Valera; Fianna Fail Governments, 1932-1948; Northern Ireland; The Anglo-Irish treaty; Ireland topic 5: Politics and society in Northern Ireland. Other articles where Cumann na nGaedheal is discussed: William Thomas Cosgrave: …helped found the political party Cumann na nGaedheal (“Party of the Irish”) in April 1923 and became its leader—represented Ireland at the Imperial Conference in October 1923. Angrily resigning by email face a number of issues well-done section analyzing Cosgrave ’ s focus on Cumann na ’... Posts by email, is not discussed at all election Feb.1932 – Fail! 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