On December 14, 1918, the United Kingdom held a general election, the first with almost universal adult suffrage. In Ireland, this election proved to be a watershed moment. Sinn Féin, campaigning on a platform of abstention from the British Parliament and the establishment of an independent Irish Republic, achieved a historic victory. They secured 73 out of Ireland's 105 seats, marking a decisive shift in Irish political sentiment away from the Irish Parliamentary Party and towards separatism. This electoral mandate paved the way for the formation of the First Dáil Éireann in January 1919, setting the stage for the Irish War of Independence.
