To what extent can we say that "Ireland fared well from the Great War"?

Résumé du document

“Few countries were more decisively affected by the Great War than Ireland”. By these words, John Horne wanted to assert that the Great War was a crucial event in Irish history and that Ireland played an important role which is increasingly acknowledged by historians. This ‘new' memory is essential in a country where the importance of the European conflict was generally marginalized, especially compared to internal agitation started with the Easter Rising of 1916. The War impacted many dimensions of Irish life, both material and moral. For instance, it ‘improved' the economic conditions and stabilized the social structure. For this reason, David Fitzpatrick argues that “Ireland fared well”. However, we have to look at the other aspects affected by this war such as politics and the future of Ireland.

Although negotiations between the nationalists and the unionists were suspended during the war, because both sides largely mobilized, it does not mean there was not a progression of nationalist ideas in people's minds. Ireland granted its independence after the war. Nonetheless, the war was not the achievement of a dream for Irish people, and we have to underline some aspects more tough of Irish life during this global conflict. Hence, in this essay we will wonder to what extent we can say that “Ireland fared well from the Great War”. The first part of the essay will explain that the economic consequences of the war were relatively good for Ireland (not excellent though). Then, the second part will show that Ireland fared well if we look at the social impacts of this war. Thirdly, we will focus on the political effects of the war which were quite good because Ireland eventually granted its independence. Finally, we will look at the moral aspects to show that the effects were more mitigated, regarding the role of the War in the memory.

Extraits

[...] Although Fitzpatrick argues there was a “moral benefit” of the war, we can argue that Ireland did not really fare well from the war in this field. As every nation affected by this war, Ireland can be characterized by a psychological traumatism. Many Irish engaged in the war effort and more than 35,000 soldiers died during this war.[30] It had a direct impact on people's minds who were shocked by the loss of relatives. On the other hand, soldiers who came back alive were not necessarily welcome. [...]

[...] Thirdly, we can argue that the War accelerated the process towards independence for Ireland (although the split with Northern Ireland was necessary to achieve it). Even if it depends on the point of view chosen, we can consider it as a good thing for Ireland which was in negotiation for the self-governance when the war broke out.[18] During the war, nationalist ideas gained importance both within the society and among political leaders. The participation was encouraged by the suspension of the controversy about the Home rule on the part of both the unionists and the nationalists.[19] The sympathy for the actions of the allied was facilitate by the leaders of both political sides, namely John Redmond (it cost him his political leadership) the nationalist and Edward Carton the Unionist, who supported the British war effort.[20] J. [...]

[...] Due to the complexity of the Irish experience during this war, no official commemorations by the Irish State were held all along the twentieth century (until 2006) and the ex-soldiers were not really considered as members of the Irish nation.[35] On the other hand, in Northern Ireland, those soldiers who had fought for the British Empire were acknowledged and the deaths were commemorated. * * * To conclude, we can say that Ireland fared quite well from the Great War if we are interested in the economic, social and even political consequences. [...]

[...] G. Boyce, Nationalism in Ireland, 3rd edition (London, 1995) David Fitzpatrick, ‘Home front and everyday life' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008) Ibid. D. G. Boyce, Nationalism in Ireland, 3rd edition (London, 1995) D.G. Boyce, ‘British opinion, Ireland, and the War, 1916-1918', The Historical Journal, vol no (September 1974) Keith Jeffery, ‘Ireland and World War One' (2010), available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/ireland_wwone_01.shtml Ibid. Ibid. [...]

[...] Clear, ‘Fewer ladies, more women' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008) David Fitzpatrick, ‘Home front and everyday life' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008) John Horne, war, our history' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008) Joseph Lee, Ireland 1912-1985: politics and society (Cambridge, 1990) Keith Jeffery, Ireland and the Great War (Cambridge, 2000) Keith Jeffery, ‘Echoes of war', in John Horn Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008) Keith Jeffery, ‘Ireland and World War One' (2010), available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/ireland_wwone_01.shtml Charles Townshend, Ireland: The 20th Century (London, Arnold: 1999) John Horne, war, our history' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008), p David Fitzpatrick, ‘Home front and everyday life' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008) David Fitzpatrick, ‘Home front and everyday life' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008) Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. Joseph Lee, Ireland 1912-1985: politics and society (Cambridge, 1990), p Ibid. C. Clear, ‘Fewer ladies, more women' in John Horne Our War: Ireland and the Great War (Dublin, 2008), p Ibid. [...]