World War I reshaped Ireland’s political landscape, setting the stage for both the 1916 Rising and the independence struggle that followed.

Led by the Irish Parliamentary Party, before 1914 the constitutional path to Home Rule dominated Irish politics. But the war would change all that — disillusionment with Britain’s campaign, along with the legitimation of armed uprising it created, was crucial to the emergence of a radical independence movement.

But the war was also harmful for the Irish and European left. It led to a climate of confusion and desperation for many socialists, exemplified by Ireland’s leading Marxist James Connolly.