Northern Ireland, 1921-96: Political Forces and Social Classes

As Northern Ireland braces itself for a return to conflict after eighteen months of peace, the new edition of this path-breaking study could scarcely be more timely. Covering the entire period between partition and the end of the IRA's ceasefire in 1996, the authors take issue with the stereotypes which portray the old Unionist state and the Protestant population as unchanging and monolithic and Catholics as uniformly alienated from the political establishment. Three of Ireland's most respected historians have written an accessible yet sophisticated history which shows how the divisions between the old Orange elite and the broader Protestant population created an explosive political dynamic. Using a wide range of primary sources, they lay bare the key issues of Northern Ireland's history from the establishment of the B Specials after partition to the stark realities of Direct Rule from London.
'Revisionist' history has been much discussed in recent years. In an Irish context this does not mean denying past realities, but reassessing the country's history in a way which acknowledges the importance of specifically Irish factors in bringing about historical change rather than laying responsibility for all Ireland's woes at England's door. This highly acclaimed study is a landmark in that new history.