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Sinn Féin (''"We Ourselves"'', often mistranslated as "Ourselves Alone") is the name of an Irish political party founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith. It subsequently became a focus for various forms of Irish nationalism, especially Irish republicanism. Its splits during the Irish Civil War in 1922 and again at the beginning of the Troubles in 1969 had dramatic effects on politics in Ireland. Sinn Féin today is a republican, left-wing and secular party. ==Early years== The ideas that led to Sinn Féin were first propounded by the ''United Irishman'' newspaper and its editor, Arthur Griffith. An article by Griffith in that paper in March 1900 called for the creation of an association to bring together the disparate Irish nationalist groups of the time, and as a result Cumann na nGaedheal was formed at the end of 1900. Griffith first put forward his proposal for the abstention of Irish members of parliament from the Westminster parliament at the 1902 Cumann na nGaedheal convention. A second organisation, the National Council, was formed in 1903 by Maud Gonne and others, including Griffith, on the occasion of the visit of King Edward VII to Dublin. Its purpose was to lobby Dublin Corporation not to present an address to the king. The motion to present an address was duly defeated, but the National Council remained in existence as a pressure group with the aim of increasing nationalist representation on local councils.〔 In 1904 Griffith elaborated his policy in a series of articles in the ''United Irishman'', which outlined how the policy of withdrawing from the imperial parliament and passive resistance had been successfully followed in Hungary, leading to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and the creation of a dual monarchy, and proposed that Irish MPs should follow the same course. These were published later that year in a booklet entitled ''The Resurrection of Hungary''. Also in 1904 a friend of Griffith's, Mary Ellen Butler, remarked in a conversation that his ideas were "the policy of ''Sinn Féin'', in fact" and Griffith enthusiastically adopted the term. The phrase ''Sinn Féin'' ('ourselves' or 'we ourselves') had been in use since the 1880s as an expression of separatist thinking, and was used as a slogan by the Gaelic League in the 1890s.〔Feeney (2002). p. 19.〕 The first annual convention of the National Council on 28 November 1905 was notable for two things: the decision, by a majority vote (with Griffith dissenting), to open branches and organise on a national basis; and the presentation by Griffith of his 'Hungarian' policy, which was now called the ''Sinn Féin'' policy.〔Davis (1974), pp. 23–4〕 This meeting is usually taken as the date of the foundation of the Sinn Féin party. In the meantime, a third organisation, the Dungannon Clubs, had been formed in Belfast by Bulmer Hobson, and it also considered itself to be part of 'the Sinn Féin movement'. By 1907 there was pressure on the three organisations to unite, especially from the US, where John Devoy offered funding, but only to a unified party.〔Maye (1997). p. 103.〕 The pressure increased when C.J. Dolan, the Irish Parliamentary Party MP for Leitrim North, announced his intention to resign his seat and contest it on a ''Sinn Féin'' platform.〔 In April 1907 Cumann na nGaedheal and the Dungannon Clubs merged as the 'Sinn Féin League'.〔Laffan (1999). p. 25.〕 Negotiations continued until August when, at the National Council annual convention, the League and the National Council merged on terms favourable to Grifith.〔 The resulting party was named Sinn Féin, and its foundation was backdated to the National Council convention of November 1905.〔Laffan (1999). p. 26.〕 In the North Leitrim by-election, 1908, Sinn Féin secured 27% of the vote.〔Feeney (2002). pp. 49–50.〕 Thereafter, both support and membership fell. At the 1910 ''Ard Fheis'' (party conference) attendance was poor and there was difficulty finding members willing to take seats on the executive.〔Feeney (2002). pp. 52–4.〕 By 1915 it was, in the words of one of Griffith's colleagues, "on the rocks", so insolvent financially that it could not pay the rent on its party headquarters in Harcourt Street in Dublin. Despite this a number of local councillors were elected running under the party banner in the 1911 local elections.〔Joe O Muircheartaigh, ''(A family of Clare councilors )'', irishidentity.com〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Sinn Féin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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