Easter Rising 1916 ​ Background Guide ​ ​ ​ The University of Notre Dame Model United Nations Conference January 31st - February 2nd, 2020 Dear Delegates, My name is Mike Chmura and I am currently a Sophomore at Notre Dame residing in Marion Burk Knott Hall (the unquestionable best ND dorm), and I am majoring in economics & statistics with a minor in energy studies. In the future, I would like to work either in environmental/economic policy or economic consulting. I am from the Cleveland/Akron area of Ohio and therefore am a big Cleveland sports fan (if anyone says anything bad about Baker Mayfield we’re going to have some issues). I love to ski and play tennis & basketball. I am also a huge dog person. Most importantly, however, I am an avid MUN-er and can’t wait to direct the crisis for this committee. I was first introduced to Model U.N. during my sophomore year of high school. Since then I have participated in 15+ conferences and spent countless hours engaged in Model U.N.-related activities. I was also a co-chair for NDMUN III last year. In high school, I always found crisis committees to be most interesting, and at least half of my committee experience thus far has been crisis. My favorite crisis committees to participate in were always the ones in which the crisis staff created an interesting and fulfilling arc that didn’t move too fast or stray too far from reality. I aim to use this experience to create an exhilarating and successful experience for everyone in the Easter Rising 1916 committee. As this committee will function as a crisis (with personal portfolio powers, directives, etc.) it is expected committee participants will have at least a basic understanding of what a crisis committee is. This does not mean you had to have previously participated in a crisis committee. It only means that you should familiarize yourself with some of the main elements of crisis committees. If you have any questions about this, a good resource for you to access is NDMUN’s crisis guide on the NDMUNiv website. In addition, it is expected that delegates will come having researched their character and the general history behind the Easter Rising. This background guide should serve as a general summary, not a sole reference for research. Overall, however, it is most important that everyone comes looking to have a fun and fulfilling experience at NDMUNiv (please don’t stress yourself out over anything). As always, feel free to email me with any questions you may have about this committee or how crisis ​ committees work in general. I can’t wait to see you all in January for NDMUNiv! Sincerely, Mike Chmura [email protected] Easter Rising 1 Dear Delegates, My name is Alvaro Carrillo Marcano. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and have Spanish and Cuban heritage. I am completely fluent in Spanish and English and conversational in French. I am a Sophomore studying Accounting and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame with an end site of becoming a Lawyer specialized in Tax Law. I am passionate in learning how different business strategies, primarily tax incentives, can help companies establish their operations in locations with need of economic development so their efforts can create an environment of dual-economic growth that can translate into aid efforts for low income workers. When I was a sophomore in High School, I decided to join Model United Nations because I saw it as an opportunity to practice my debating skills. Little did I know that my decision to engage in political debate helped me grow academically and personally at unprecedented levels. This led me to participate as a delegate in numerous types of committees ranging from the Cristero war in 1926, Puerto Rico’s Oversight Board, Council of the Indies, Uber vs Taxis legal complications, Philippines drug war, USA and North Korea’s nuclear tensions, and UNEP. I also served as a member of the dais in an intercollegiate competition at Puerto Rico for the committee of the Russo-Japanese War. Being a crisis committee, the dais expects the delegates to be well prepared to engage in a dynamic debate that is subject to continuous modification and change. Delegates should thoroughly know their delegation’s history, influence and resources so they can react to the committee’s development in a unique and effective manner. This will be a very interesting and challenging committee that whilst it will have numerous developments, we hope that we can see consistent high-quality contributions by the delegates. I know that the preparation process can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing; therefore, if you have any questions in respect to the committee, don’t hesitate to contact me via email and remember, have fun! Good luck! Sincerely, Alvaro Carrillo [email protected] Easter Rising 2 Topic: The Dublin Easter Rising As the main goal of this committee is to mimic a military uprising, this committee will be operating similarly to a “war cabinet.” It will be composed of distinguished Irish republicans, primarily those who, for the factual historical event, took leadership positions in organizing, executing or affecting the Dublin Easter Rising. For those more inexperienced crisis delegates, this committee, upholding typical crisis standards, will be more relaxed in respect to parliamentary procedure. Although parliamentary procedure will still be in effect, committee proceedings will be more centered on (un)moderated caucuses and other forms of debate rather than more formal procedures (i.e. speaker’s list). The delegates’ contributions in the moderated caucus will be crucial in aiding the development and implementation of the Uprising; however, personal directives (crisis notes) will also be a most important tool the delegates will have at their disposal to influence committee outcomes and events. Therefore, it is paramount that the delegates research allies, enemies, and resources their character has under his/her influence to compose purposeful and historically accurate crisis notes that will contribute to a dynamic, spontaneous and fun committee (specific portfolio powers will be communicated during the first committee session). If you still have doubts on the committee's proceedings, please refer to the NDMUN’s crisis guide on the NDMUN IV website, which will give you a general oversight on how the simulation will run. The crisis for this committee will be centered on the week of April 23, 1916 ‒ the week during which the historical Easter Rising took place. As this committee is a historical crisis, historical figures and settings will heavily influence the events of this crisis simulation. The background for this crisis will be nearly identical to historical events which led up to the historical 1916 uprising. However, there will be a few key historical changes (alternate history) which will be incorporated in order to give this simulation a more realistic chance of success than the historical rising had (more info on specific background history changes is provided in the “Committee Specifics” section). Although this crisis has a historical setup and will draw on historical events to provide a realistic environment, this does not mean all, or even most, decisions and events during the crisis will mirror the historical Easter Rising. The goal for this committee is for members to take actions which are informed by the historical setting, but not identical to historical events. The historical rising ended up in defeat for the Irish Republicans, therefore clearly it would be unwise (hint, hint) for committee members to follow the exact same plans and actions which the historical uprising leaders took. Ultimately, the goal for this committee is to provide a simulation grounded in realistic expectations, but not tied to the historical events and outcomes. This dynamic between history and novelty is designed to create the most fun and interesting simulation possible. Introduction Since medieval times, Ireland has been under British rule. Ireland’s history is a direct representation of an extensive military conflict and cultural concoction that led to the development of an undeniably intertwined British state. Although Britain’s interest to increase its influence over the Irish state was once one of its main foreign policy goals from the 13th to the 19th century, time and time again Irish citizens ​ voiced their disapproval. However, as British influence advanced in Ireland, opinions over foreign rule became one of Ireland’s main political issues. This resulted in a divided Irish state by the 20th century ​ Easter Rising 3 composed of those who favored Anglican domination and those, inspired by the American and French revolutions, who supported an independent and home-ruled Ireland. Religious conflicts Since the prehistoric era, Gaelic ideals, distinguished by “ethnolinguistic traditions native to north western Europe”1, had been a cornerstone of Irish culture. However, with the end of the “nine years war” between the old O’Neill Gaelic Irish family, whose main influence was upheld in Ulster, the most Gaelic region of Ireland, and English forces under Lord Mountjoy, Ireland ceased to be a Gaelic state. In turn, Ireland went through a brutal religious cleansing perpetrated by the English Protestant Church in which Catholics found themselves targets of religious profiling, rivaling the Spanish inquisition. With the expulsion of the O’Neill family, and all large Irish landowners in Ulster, the Protestant English and Presbyterian Scots took control of the most fertile lands in the region. With an overwhelming and newly installed protestant aristocracy, Irish Catholics became victims of religious discrimination by Protestants. Historians describe this event as “the seed… for the modern troubles”2. By 1692, William III of England, better known as William of Orange, banned all Catholics from office, and by 1695, all Irish Catholics were deprived of Civil Rights.