Description
Book SynopsisFrom Political Violence to Negotiated Settlement has as its starting point the strategic shift on the part of both loyalist and republican militants that became obvious in the mid-1990s. In both cases, political violence was foresworn in favour of a new strategy of inter-group bargaining and compromise. The political standpoints have deep historical roots, and this book examines them systematically. It brings together Ireland's leading specialists in the area - drawn from historians, political scientists and sociologists - and seeks to provide historical depth to the debate about contemporary paramilitary violence. The book is structured along a mixture of chronological and thematic lines, starting with an analysis of the circumstances at the beginning of the twentieth century that brought the issue of violence as an agent of change to the centre of the Irish stage. This is carried further by means of an analysis of the perpetuation of lessons learned in the pre-1922 period for subsequent political development, and by more detailed studies of the interplay between strategies of violence and the parliamentary path on the unionist and republican sides. The contemporary relevance of the issues raised is underscored in a contribution from the chair of the arms decommissioning body.
Trade Review"while the subject matter is rather eclectic, together they deliver a sustained engagement with the relationship between violence and politics in modern Irish history." Irish Studies Review 13 (2) 2005 "this collection is a timely, well-researched and useful addition to the emerging scholarship on the role of political violence and the challenges of peace-making in modern Ireland." Irish Literary Supplement Fall 2006
Table of ContentsMaurice J. Bric and John Coakley, Introduction: The roots of militant politics in Ireland; Maurice J. Bric: The invention and re-invention of public protect in Ireland, 1760-1900; Ronan Fanning, The home rule crisis of 1912-14 and the failure of British democracy in Ireland; Michael Laffan, Republicanism in the revolutionary decade: the triumph and containment of militarism, 1912-23; Paul Bew, Moderate nationalism, 1918-23: perspectives on politics and revolution; Eunan O'Halpin, The geopolitics of republican diplomacy in the twentieth century; Alvin Jackson, Modern unionism and the cult of 1912-14; Joseph Ruane, Contemporary republicanism and the strategy of armed struggle; Paul Dixon, Contemporary unionism and the tactics of resistance; John de Chastelain, The Northern Ireland peace process and the impact of decommissioning; John Coakley, Conclusion: the legacy of political violence in Ireland; Appendices; Notes; References; Index
