III.

Rise to Prominence

In the late 1970s Adams became the leading proponent within Sinn Fein for a reassessment of its policies and its commitment to armed struggle. He believed that political action was also required to achieve the party’s aims. This set in motion Sinn Fein’s political development during the early 1980s, when the party began to take an active part in local and general elections.

In 1983 Adams was elected president of Sinn Fein. A year later he was the victim of an assassination attempt and was shot several times while riding through central Belfast in the back of a car. In 1986 he published Politics of Irish Freedom, a presentation of his political views. During the late 1980s he also mildly criticized IRA killings of civilians, which he argued were detrimental to the Republican cause.

A.

IRA Cease-Fire

Together with John Hume, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Adams played a large part in the declaration of a cease-fire by the IRA in August 1994, one of the conditions required by the British government before Sinn Fein would be allowed to participate in discussions about the future of Northern Ireland. After the cease-fire was declared, the British government removed the restrictions that it had placed on Adams’s public appearances, and he became free to travel in mainland Britain. In October 1994 United States president Bill Clinton lifted an official ban on government contacts with Sinn Fein and met with Adams in March 1995.

Despite the cease-fire, Adams was unwilling to press the IRA to completely give up its arms before all British troops were withdrawn from Northern Ireland. At the same time, the British refused to allow Sinn Fein’s participation in the talks before the complete decommissioning (surrendering of weapons) of the IRA. This reluctance on both sides caused a delay in the start of the all-party peace talks, and in February 1996 the IRA resumed its campaign of violence. Adams refused to condemn the resumption of violence, a decision that seriously damaged his credibility as leader of the Sinn Fein/IRA Republican bloc.

B.

Election to Parliament

In the British general elections in May 1997, Adams was elected to the British Parliament, along with his deputy, Martin McGuinness. This marked the first time that Sinn Fein had held two seats in the House of Commons. However, because Adams and McGuinness refused to take their seats, they were barred from making use of the House of Commons facilities. In the aftermath of the elections, Adams was vocal in his demands that Sinn Fein be included in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations, saying that his election demonstrated public support for Sinn Fein.