Ireland, 1912-1985: Politics and SocietyThis is the first major study on this scale of Irish performance, North and South, in the twentieth century. Although stressing the primacy of politics in Irish public affairs, it argues that Irish politics must be understood in the broad context of economic, social, administrative, cultural, and intellectual history. The book fully explores the relationship between rhetoric and reality in the Irish mind and views political behavior largely as a product of collective psychology. "The Irish experience" is placed firmly in a comparative context. The book seeks to assess the relative importance of British influence and of indigenous impulses in shaping an independent Ireland, and to identify the relationship between personality and process in determining Irish history. Particularly close attention is paid to individuals such as Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, W.T. Cosgrove, Sir James Craig, J.J. McElligott, Sean Lemass, Terence O'Neill, and Ian Paisley, and to the limits within which even the most powerful personalities were forced to operate. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
achieved administrative Affairs agricultural Anglo-Irish anti-Treaty appointed army Belfast Britain British cabinet Catholic cent Church circumstances civil service claim Clann Clann na Poblachta Collins Commission Committee constitution Cork Cosgrave culture Cumann na nGaedheal Dáil December Department Dublin Eamon de Valera Economic Development economists election electoral emigration English European exports Fáil's farmers Fianna Fáil Finance Fine Gael Gael growth Haughey home rule Ibid independence Industry and Commerce intellectual Irish Free Irish Press issue January June Labour language leader London Lynch MacEntee MacNeill majority March McElligott memo ment Minister Moynihan Mulcahy nationalist neutrality Northern Ireland O'Brien O'Higgins organisation party performance perspective population potential problem programme Protestant remained Republic response Rising role Seán Lemass sector Sinn Féin social society Studies T.K. Whitaker Taoiseach trade Ulster unionists unemployment Valera vote W.T. Cosgrave Whitaker