Irish general election, 1932
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The Irish general election of 1932 was held on February 16, 1932, just over two weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 29. The newly elected 153 members of the 7th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on March 9, 1932 when the new President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State was appointed
The general election took place in 30 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Irish Free State for 153 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann. The 1932 General Election was one of the most important general elections held in Ireland in the 20th Century.
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[edit] Cumann na nGaedhael
Cumann na nGaedhael fought the general election on its record of providing ten years of stable government. The party brought stability following the chaos of the civil war, and provided honest government. However, by 1932 this provision of solid government was wearing thin, particularly since the party had no solution to the collapse in trade which followed the depression of the early 1930s. Instead of offering new policies the party believed that its record in government would be enough to retain power. Cumann na nGaedhael also played the "red card" tactic, describing Fianna Fáil as communists and likening Éamon de Valera to Stalin.
[edit] Fianna Fáil
In comparison to Cumann na nGaedhael, Fianna Fáil had an elaborate election programme, designed to appeal to a wide section of the electorate. It played down its republicanism to avoid alarm, but provided very popular social and economic policies. The party promised to free IRA prisoners, abolish the Oath of Allegiance and reduce the powers of the Governor-General and the Senate. It also promised the introduction of protectionist policies, industrial development, self-sufficiency and improvements in housing and social security benefits.
[edit] Campaign
The election campaign was reasonably peaceful between the two ideologically opposed parties. However, during the campaign the government prosecuted de Valera's newly established newspaper, "Irish Press". The editor was also brought before a military tribunal. This was seen by many as a major blunder and a serious infringement on the belief of freedom of speech. The "red scare" tactics also seemed to backfire on the government, who seemed to have little else to offer the electorate.
[edit] Result
| 7th Irish General Election – February 16, 1932 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Leader | # of Seats |
Gains/ Losses |
% of Dáil |
# of Votes |
% of Votes |
|
| Fianna Fáil | Éamon de Valera | 72 | +15 | 47.1 | 566.4 | 44.5 | |
| Cumann na nGaedhael | W. T. Cosgrave | 56 | -5 | 36.6 | 449.5 | 35.3 | |
| Labour Party | Thomas J. O'Connell | 7 | -6 | 4.6 | 98.2 | 7.7 | |
| Farmers' Party | Michael Heffernan | 3 | -2 | 1.9 | 24.4 | 1.9 | |
| Independents | 14 | -2 | 9.1 | 135.2 | 10.6 | ||
| Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) | 1 | - | 0.7 | - | |||
| Totals | 153 | 100.0 | 1274.0 | 100.0 | |||
| Fianna Fáil minority government formed. | |||||||
When the results were known Fianna Fáil was still 5 seats short of an overall majority, but it still looked like the only party capable of forming a government. Discussions got underway immediately after the election and an agreement was reached in which the Labour Party would support Fianna Fáil. The party now had the necessary votes to form a government.
[edit] Transition of power
On March 9, 1932 the first change of government in the Irish Free State took place. Many in the country and abroad wondered if the true test of democracy would be passed, whether it would be possible for the men who won a civil war only ten years before to hand over power to their opponents. Similar to when the party first entered the Dáil in 1927, a number of Fianna Fáil TDs had guns in their pockets. However, the feared coup d'état did not take place. W. T. Cosgrave was determined to adhere to the principles of democracy that he had practised while in government. Likewise, the army, an Garda Síochána and the civil service all accepted the change of government, despite the fact that they would now be taking orders from men who had been their enemies less than ten years previously. After a brief and uneventful meeting in the Dáil chamber, Éamon de Valera was appointed President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State by the Governor-General, James McNeill, who had come to Leinster House to make the appointment rather than require de Valera travel to the Viceregal Lodge, formerly a symbol of British rule. Fianna Fáil, the party most closely identified with opposing the existence of the state ten years earlier, were now the party of government. Not only that but the 1932 general election was the beginning of a sixteen year period in government for Fianna Fáil.
[edit] First time TDs
[edit] See also
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