Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/884

 662 General History of Europe were arrested and imprisoned or shot ; mass meetings were broken up or fired upon by British forces. In spite of this disorder the British arranged, in November, 1920, for the first elections under the new law providing for the gradual introduction of self- government into India. 1198. Ireland and the Sinn Fein Republic. A far more seri- ous challenge to British dominion after the close of the World War came from Ireland, where the age-long discontent of the Irish flamed up again in a men- acing manner. A revolutionary movement broke out in Ireland, under the leadership of the republicans Sinn Fein party. The aim of this movement was complete independence, not mere home rule, and Eamonn de Valera was elected " president of the Irish republic." Thus an Irish government was created within the sphere of the English government. From 1916 to 1921 Ireland was in a state of insurrection. There were murders and retaliations, and the island was filled with distress and disorder. 1199. Communist Uprisings. In Germany and Austria the Socialists held the balance of power, and in Russia the Com- munists wielded their dictatorship. In Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and scores of industrial cities there were Communist uprisings. In Munich and Budapest the Communists for a time were installed in power, but after bloody struggles were deposed. In Berlin there occurred a desperate conflict between the extreme Socialists, known as the Spartacides, and the gov- ernment, headed by the mild Socialist Ebert. All over middle Europe the workmen seized factories and set up "workers' councils," somewhat on the model of the Russian Soviets. The PRESIDENT EBERT