n the grounds that his political influence would be needed to convince radical republicans to accept his external association proposal. De Valera saw proposal as an ideal compromise that would free Ireland from the control of the Monarchy but maintain a superficial alliance to Britain. The debate in London appeared to be at a stalemate, neither side willing to concede on the issue of allegiance to the crown, when Lloyd George resorted to threats of war and attacks on the personal character of the delegates. Lloyd George's intimidation tactics worked and the delegates signed a treaty that included an alliance to the Crown. The issue of the Treaty split the Dublin Cabinet in half, with Griffith, Collins, Barton and Cosgran arguing in favor of the Treaty and De Valera, Brugha and Stack against it. De Valera struggled to find a means to restore unity to the Dail and the country, but the immediacy of the situation prevented any such reunion and a civil war raged out of control in Ireland. As 1925 drew to a close, de Valera and the IRA were at odds on the issue and Sinn Fein was divided. The oath to the King, required of all members of the Oireactas before taking office, was the main point of discord for de Valera and he stepped down as President in March of 1926. Upon resignation, de Valera formed his own party called the Fianna Fail whose aims included a republican Ireland, a restoration of the Irish Language, a development of Irish culture, a development of an equal opportunity social system, a just distribution of land in Ireland and the general independence of for the country. "As Leader of the Opposition, de Valera's primary objective was to use every constitutional means to abolish the oath of allegiance." When Kevin O'Higgins was assassinated in 1927 the Cumann na nGaedheal lost its leader. The death allowed the Fianna Fail to gain a significant amount of seats. The representatives skirted the issue of the allegiance by...
