De Valera and Collins Agree to a Pact

Éamon de Valera and Michael Collins reach an agreement known as the “Collins–de Valera Pact” in May 1922, ahead of the Irish general election in June. The pact proposes that pro- and anti-Treaty factions of Sinn Féin will run as a united panel of candidates, with the aim of preserving national unity and avoiding civil conflict.

Under the agreement, both sides would share power in a coalition government after the election. However, the pact is strongly opposed by some, including members of the Provisional Government and Arthur Griffith, who see it as undemocratic. The arrangement ultimately collapses, and tensions soon escalate into the Irish Civil War, which breaks out in June 1922, just weeks after the election.