Description
Book SynopsisIn this innovative work, Alan Ward uses the pivotal event in twentieth-century Irish history as a prism through which to survey Irish history from the twelfth century to the present.
By asking why the Easter Rising occurred, Ward is able to review the history of Anglo-Irish relations, from the time of Norman settlement to World War I, as well as the development of several kinds of Irish nationalism in the nineteenth century. Then, by asking what the effects of the Rising have been, Ward discusses the Irish war of independence, the creation of the Irish Free State, and the Irish civil war, pondering the influence of the various strands of Irish nationalism on the modern state.
Finally, the book reviews the conflict in Northern Ireland from the 1960s all the way to the fall of 2002, making this distinctive and analysis ideal for use as a core text in Irish history or superb supplementary reading for survey courses in British, European, and World History.
Table of ContentsPreface vii
Chapter 1 The Easter Rising 1
Chapter 2 England and Ireland Before the Union of 1801 16
Chapter 3 Ireland and Irish Nationalism After the Union 31
Chapter 4 Constitutional Nationalism 41
Chapter 5 Romantic and Revolutionary Nationalism 55
Chapter 6 America and the Irish Problem 72
Chapter 7 Three Home Rule Bills and the Rise of Unionism 82
Chapter 8 The Constitutional Crisis of 1912-1914: Preparing for Rebellion 95
Chapter 9 World War I: Britain’s Weakness and Ireland’s Opportunity 104
Chapter 10 Sinn Fein Emerges 116
Chapter 11 A Victory for Revolutionary Nationalism 128
Chapter 12 The Effects of the Rising 147
Bibliography 175
Index 185
