Why did sinn fein win the 1918 genaral election?

Answer 1

Sinn Féin candidates were elected in 73 constituencies but four party candidates (Arthur Griffith, Éamon de Valera, Eoin MacNeill and Liam Mellows) were elected for two constituencies and so the total number of individual Sinn Féin MPs elected was 69. Despite the isolated allegations of intimidation and electoral fraud on the part of both Sinn Féin supporters and its Unionist opponents, the election was seen as a landslide victory for Sinn Féin.

The proportion of votes cast for Sinn Féin, namely 46.9% of votes for 48 "first past the post" seats won in the 80 constituencies it contested, is understated by the fact that 25 candidates in some of its strongest support bases were unopposed, reducing its real support level in these constituencies from a possible level of 80pc.[citation needed] This is close to the total level of enjoyed by Sinn Féin's three major breakaway parties after partition. Labour who had pulled out in the south under instructions 'to wait' polled better in Belfast than Sinn Féin.[2]

The party returned with the second largest number of seats was the Irish Unionist Party with 22 seats. The success of the Unionists who won 26 seats in total[3] was largely limited to Ulster, however. In the rest of Ireland Southern Unionists were elected only in the constituencies of the University of Dublin and Rathmines. None the less Unionists won 23 seats out of Ulster's 37 seats, having only had a minority previously.

Answer 2

Sinn Fein excelled in the 1918 elections because of the brutality the British Displayed in ending the Easter 1916 Rising, where the viciously executed all participants except for one, who later managed to run as a member of Sinn Fein on an Independence Platform. This eventually led to Michael Collins leading the IRA during the Anglo-Irish war which resulted in the indepedence Sinn Fein desired.