Connolly, James

(1868–1916)

   Connolly sought to combine Marxism with both nationalism and religion, and was one of the leaders of the 1916 “Easter Rising,” the nationalist insurrection in Dublin, Ireland, for which he was executed by the British government. His Marxism was orthodox and followed the Second International line, except for some syndicalist leanings influenced by Daniel De Leon. De Leon’s influence made Connolly sympathetic to industrial unionism and he spent several years in the United States as an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World. His nationalism co-existed alongside his Marxism without ever being properly integrated, and certainly in Ireland his nationalism came to dominate his political activities. He also sought to mix Marxism with Catholicism. Connolly made no significant contribution to Marxist theory, but he wrote two important works of propaganda for the cause of Irish independence, Labour in Irish History (1910) and The Re-conquest of Ireland (1915).