Editing Seán Lemass (section)

== Political foundations and ministerial career ==
{{More citations needed|section|date=January 2024}}[[File:Seán Lemass 1924.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|left|Lemass being carried on the shoulders of some of his supporters following his by-election victory in 1924. It marked the beginning of a decades-long career in Dáil Eireann.]]
In 1926, de Valera, supported by Lemass, sought to convince [[Sinn Féin]] to accept the existence of the [[Irish Free State]] and the legitimacy of the [[Dáil Éireann|Dáil]], and to abandon its [[abstentionism|abstentionist]] intention to refuse to sit in the Dáil if elected. Their effort was unsuccessful, however, and in March 1926 both de Valera and Lemass resigned from the party.<ref name=dib/>

At this point, de Valera contemplated leaving public life, a decision that would have changed the course of Irish history. It was Lemass who encouraged him to stay and form a political party. In May, de Valera, assisted by [[Gerald Boland]] and Lemass, began to plan the new party, which became known as [[Fianna Fáil]] – The Republican Party.<ref group="note">Lemass, the pragmatist, wanted to call the new party simply ''The Republican Party''. De Valera, attached to [[Gaels|Gaelic]] symbolism, insisted on the [[Irish language]] name ''Fianna Fáil'' ("soldiers of destiny") after contemplating the name ''Fine Gael'' (meaning 'family of the Gael', which, ironically, became the name of the [[Fine Gael|main opposition party]] to Fianna Fáil). The eventual formal name chosen for the new party was a combination of de Valera's Irish and Lemass's English ideas. It was indicative of Lemass's status in 1926 that his preferred choice of name was included in the final title, albeit secondarily to de Valera's chosen name.</ref> Lemass travelled around the country trying to raise support for Fianna Fáil. The vast majority of Sinn Féin TDs were persuaded to join. The new party was strongly opposed to partition but accepted the ''de facto'' existence of the Free State, seeking to republicanise it from within. It opposed the controversial [[Oath of Allegiance (Ireland)|Oath of Allegiance]] and campaigned for its removal.<ref name=dib/>

Due largely to Lemass' organisational skill, most of Sinn Féin's branches defected to Fianna Fáil.<ref name="examnotes">[http://test.scoilnet.ie/Res/maryodubhain100899224214_2.html Exam notes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003030713/http://test.scoilnet.ie/Res/maryodubhain100899224214_2.html |date=3 October 2017 }} about Seán Lemass</ref> This enabled the new party to make a strong showing at [[June 1927 Irish general election|the June 1927 election]], taking 44 seats while reducing its parent party to only five. More importantly, this was only three seats behind the governing party, [[Cumann na nGaedheal]]. Pending the removal of the Oath of Allegiance, the party announced that it would not take up its Dáil seats. A court case was begun in the name of Lemass and others. However, the assassination by the [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] of [[Kevin O'Higgins]], the [[Vice-President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State|Vice-President of the Executive Council]] (deputy prime minister), led to the passing of a new Act requiring all prospective Dáil candidates to take an oath that, if elected, they would swear the Oath of Allegiance; a refusal to do so would prohibit anyone from candidacy in a general or by-election.<ref name=dib/>

Faced with the threat of legal disqualification from politics, de Valera eventually took the Oath of Allegiance while claiming that he was simply signing a slip of paper to gain a right of participation in the Dáil, not ''actually'' taking an Oath. On 11 August 1927, having signed the Oath of Allegiance in front of a representative of the [[Governor-General of the Irish Free State]], the TDs from what Lemass described as "a slightly constitutional party" entered the Dáil. The party had another strong showing at [[September 1927 Irish general election|a fresh election in September]], taking 57 seats.<ref name=dib/>

Lemass was one of the party's stronger performers in opposition, attacking Cumann na nGaedheal as being too pro-British. He also attacked the government's stewardship of the economy, and was largely responsible for drafting Fianna Fáil's economic programme.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Minister for Industry and Commerce===
[[File:Seán Lemass circa 1932.png|thumb|left|Lemass in 1932]]
In 1932, Fianna Fáil took office in the [[Irish Free State]], remaining in government for 16 uninterrupted years. The party which Lemass had described as only a "slightly constitutional party" in 1929<ref group="note">In 1929 Lemass himself was not above resorting to illegal behaviour. He discussed with the [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] the possibility of attacking [[Remembrance Day]] ceremonies due to be held in [[College Green, Dublin|College Green]] in the centre of Dublin and which drew thousands of people. However, the attack never took place and Lemass broke off contact with the IRA soon afterwards. ''National Archives of Ireland files''.{{Better source needed|date=April 2022}}</ref> was now leading the Free State, a state that de Valera and Lemass had fought a civil war to destroy a decade earlier. De Valera appointed Lemass as [[Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment|Minister for Industry and Commerce]], one of the more senior cabinet positions in the [[Executive Council of the Irish Free State|Executive Council]], which he would occupy, with only one short break, in all three of de Valera's governments.<ref name=dib/>

Lemass had the two difficult tasks of developing Irish industry behind his new tariff walls, and convincing the conservative [[Department of Finance (Ireland)|Department of Finance]] to promote state involvement in industry. Against the background of the [[Great Depression]], he and de Valera engaged in the [[Anglo-Irish Trade War]] which lasted from 1933 until 1938, causing severe damage and hardship to the Irish economy and the cattle industry. In 1933, Lemass set up the [[Industrial Credit Corporation]] to facilitate investment for industrial development; in the climate of the depression, investment had dried up. A number of semi-state companies, modelled on the success of the [[Electricity Supply Board|ESB]], were also set up. These included the [[Irish Sugar Company]], to develop the sugar-beet industry, [[Bord na Móna|Turf Development Board]] for turf development, and an Irish airline, [[Aer Lingus]]. Years later Lemass described Aer Lingus as his "proudest achievement".<ref name=dib/>

The Irish market was still too small for multiple companies to exist, so practically all the semi-states had a monopoly on the Irish market. While Lemass concentrated on economic matters, de Valera focused primarily on constitutional affairs, leading to the passage of the new [[Constitution of Ireland]] in 1937. De Valera became [[Taoiseach]], while Lemass served in the new Government (the new name for the cabinet) again as Minister for Industry and Commerce.<ref name=dib/>

Subsequently, Irish [[economic historian]]s have found that many of his decisions on tariffs and licences were made on an ad-hoc basis, with little coherent policy and forward planning.<ref>Daly M.E., ''Industrial Development and Irish National Identity, 1922–39'' (Gill and Macmillan, Dublin 1992)</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Garvin|first=Tom|title=Preventing the Future; Why was Ireland so poor for so long?|url=http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/history/history/preventing-the-future|publisher=Gill & Macmillan|location=Dublin|date=2005|isbn=978-0-7171-3970-5|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052118/http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/history/history/preventing-the-future|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>

===Minister for Supplies===
Lemass became [[Minister for Supplies]] in 1939, following the outbreak of [[World War II]] (known in Ireland as [[The Emergency (Ireland)|The Emergency]]). It was a crucial role for Ireland, which maintained official neutrality.<ref group="note">Irish neutrality was to a significant extent fiction, as revealed by government papers released years after the war{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}}. The Irish government secretly aided the Allies; the date of [[D-Day]], for example, was decided because of weather forecasts from Ireland, which indicated approaching weather systems from the Atlantic, the right weather being crucial to the success of the [[Normandy Landings]].</ref>

The state had to achieve an unprecedented degree of self-sufficiency and it was Lemass's role to ensure this; he had the difficult task of organising what little resources existed. In 1941, the [[Irish Shipping|Irish Shipping Company]] was set up to keep a vital trickle of supplies coming into the country. However, petrol, gas, and some foodstuffs remained in short supply. When [[Seán T. O'Kelly]] was elected [[president of Ireland]] in 1945, de Valera chose Lemass over older cabinet colleagues to succeed him as [[Tánaiste]].<ref name=dib/>

===Post-war years===
[[File:IrelandRepublicPopulation1841.PNG|thumb|right|450px]]
After [[World War II]] Lemass sought help from the [[Marshall Aid]] Plan, securing $100m that was mainly spent on the road network. Emigration continued, particularly [[Irish migration to Great Britain|to Britain]]. Despite a high birth rate, the Republic's population continued to fall until the 1960s (see chart).

In 1948, partly due to its own increasing isolation and also due to a republican backlash against its anti-IRA policies (which during the Emergency had seen the execution of IRA prisoners – in part due to IRA links with the [[Nazism|Nazis]]), which had produced a rival republican party, [[Clann na Poblachta]], Fianna Fáil lost office.<ref name=dib/>

The [[Government of the 13th Dáil|First Inter-Party government]], made up of [[Fine Gael]], the [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]], [[National Labour Party (Ireland)|National Labour Party]], [[Clann na Talmhan]], Clann na Poblachta and Independents, was formed under Fine Gael TD [[John A. Costello]]. In opposition, Lemass played a crucial role in re-organising and streamlining Fianna Fáil. As a result of this, and also due to crises within the Inter-Party government over the controversial [[Mother and Child Scheme]], Fianna Fáil were not long out of government.<ref name=dib/>

In 1951, Fianna Fáil returned to office as a minority government. Lemass again returned as Minister for Industry and Commerce. Lemass believed that a new economic policy was needed, however, de Valera disagreed.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} [[Seán MacEntee]], the [[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|Minister for Finance]], tried to deal with the crisis in the balance of payments. He was also unsympathetic to a new economic outlook. In 1954, the government fell and was replaced by the [[Government of the 15th Dáil|Second Inter-Party government]].<ref name=dib/>

Lemass was confined to the Opposition benches for another three years. In 1957, de Valera, at the age of seventy-five, announced to Fianna Fáil that he planned to retire. He was persuaded however to become [[Taoiseach]] one more time until 1959 when the office of [[President of Ireland]] would become vacant. Lemass returned as [[Tánaiste]] and Minister for Industry and Commerce. In 1958, the first ''Programme for Economic Development'' was launched. De Valera was [[1959 Irish presidential election|elected president]] in 1959 and retired as [[Fianna Fáil]] leader and Taoiseach.<ref name=dib/>