International Politics · Gwleidyddiaeth Ryngwladol
Prydain Ac Iwerddon Mewn Rhyfel A Heddwch Ers 1800 · GW38820
Information
Crown Forces during the Anglo-Irish War, 1919-21
The Module
The
module examines debates about the origins and dynamics of the relationship
between
Core texts
Paul Bew,
Tim
Pat Coogan, The IRA (
Richard
English, Irish Freedom: A History of
Nationalism in
R.
F. Foster, Modern
R.F.
Foster, The
David
Harkness,
Alvin
Jackson,
J.J.
James
Loughlin, The
F.S.L.
John
Whyte, Interpreting
_______________________________________________________________________________
On
completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Critically evaluate the principal debates
about
2. Analyze the dynamics of British-Irish
relationship
3. Evaluate the role of coercion and violence in
British-Irish relations
4. Examine and evaluate the impact of the
Anglo-Irish War of 1919-21
5. Examine and evaluate the course and impact of
the ‘Troubles’ after 1969
6. Critically evaluate
contending explanations for the end of the ‘Troubles’ in the 1990s
7. Analyze the role of individual political leaders in the development of the British-Irish relations.
8.
Critically evaluate
emerging approaches to the study of the British-Irish relations including the
study of culture and the use of critical oral history
_______________________________________________________________________________
RIC officers, c. 1921
Teaching Staff
Dr
R. Gerald Hughes will convene this module.
He is located at room 1.05 in the
Course Web
page
This is available at:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/rbh/britain-ireland
Teaching Methods
The module is taught by a series of twice
weekly lectures and bi-weekly seminars.
Attendance at lectures is strongly recommended. Attendance at seminars is compulsory.
Methods of Assessment
Assessment
consists of an essay (50% of the overall mark) and an examination (50% of the
overall mark).
The
examination will last for two hours; you will be required to answer two
questions out of a choice of ten.
1 x 3,000 word essay (50% of overall mark) to be handed in accordance to Departmental procedures Thursday 26 April 2012. For guidance on essay writing, please see ‘Writing and Referencing in Interpol’.
ESSAY QUESTIONS (ANSWER ONE ONLY)
1. What were the main consequences of the decision not to include Catholic Emancipation as a future of the Act of Union of 1800?
2. What were the main aims of the ‘Young Ireland’ movement? Why did it fail?
3. Account for the initial political successes of Charles Stewart Parnell.
4. Why did William Ewart Gladstone fail to attain Irish Home Rule?
5. How did the Conservative Party manipulate the ‘Ulster Question’, 1886-1922? What were the long-term consequences of this?
6. ‘Despite British military power, the Anglo-Irish War was unwinnable in political terms’. Discuss.
7. How did Irish neutrality in the Second World War impact upon Britain’s war effort and Anglo-Irish relations generally?
8. Why did Northern Ireland descend into the ‘Troubles’ after 1969?
9. What was the military strategy of the PIRA? Did it change over time? If so, how?
10. Assess the role of intelligence in the ‘Troubles’, 1969-1998
11. ‘Soldiers never make good policemen’. Discuss with relation to the performance of the British army OR the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland after 1969.
12. Assess the successes and failures of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998?
Lectures
1. Introduction:
2. British
3. Conflict
and Home Rule: Fenianism, the Land Question,
4. ‘
5. ‘The
6.
The
Anglo-Irish War, 1919-21 (I)
7. The
Anglo-Irish War, 1919-21 (II)
8. Treaty,
Civil War and
9.
10. The
challenge to the Northern Irish state and the emergence of the PIRA
11. The end of
Stormont and Loyalist and Republican terrorism in the 1970s
12. The ‘Long
War’: Republicans, Loyalists and the British state in the 1980s
13. The British
War against Terrorism
14. The Road to Good Friday, 1998, and beyond
Seminars
1.
The Act of
-
What were the root causes of the 1798 Rebellion?
-
What was Pitt's rationale in pushing through the Act of Union? Was the Act flawed from the outset? If so, why?
-
Why did Catholic emancipation fail to satisfy the political aspirations of Ireland's majority population?
-
Was 'Young Ireland' an inherently unsuitable vehicle for Irish nationalism?
-
Did the Famine finally kill the prospects for long-term stable unity between Britain and Ireland?
2. Fenianism,
Parnell and Home Rule: the
- What was 'Fenianism'? What were its goals, methods, successes and failures?
- What was the 'New Nationalism'? Can we speak of any coherent whole here?
- Why was Parnell such an effective political leader?
- Why did Gladstone fail to achieve Home Rule?
- How did those who favoured the Union seek to ensure its continuation, 1850-1910?
3. Three Wars: the First World War, the Anglo-Irish War and the Civil War, 1914-1924
-
How did WW1 benefit Sinn Fein and the Unionists simultaneously?
-
Why did violence move to the centre of Irish politics after 1916?
-
Assess Lloyd George's performance with regard to Ireland after 1916.
-
Assess the role of Michael Collins in Anglo-Irish relations, 1916-1922.
-
Why did the IFS descend into Civil War after mid-1922?
4.
-
Why did Eire stay neutral in the Second World War? What did the reality of this policy mean for Anglo-Irish relations?
-
-
-
-
5. Another Irish solution? The Good Friday Agreement and Beyond
-
What were the implications of the tactics such as use of secret agents, 'Supergrasses' and special operations by the security forces in Northern Ireland?
-
What is the significance of the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985?
-
If 'shoot to kill' was ever policy, what were the effects of its use? Are such tactics legitimate?
-
Why did the PIRA/ SF decide to seek an end to the 'long war'?
-
What were the central factors that caused the parties to move towards the Good Friday Agreement (GFA)?
Important Note:
The main texts set for this module are Paul Bew,
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