Ireland in Conflict 1922-1998 (Lancaster Pamphlets)

The year 1922 promised to be a good one for the citizens of Ireland; the war in Europe was over, the economy was reviving, and by a newly signed treaty with Great Britain, Ireland was to attain a measure of independence from its colonial master. But instead of peace and freedom, the year quickly brought a bloody civil war to the Free State and sectarian violence to a divided Northern Ireland, initiating a dark era that would last for years.

A volume in a series of historical sketches produced by scholars at Lancaster University, this well-crafted small book condenses a great deal of information about a difficult subject: the tumultuous history of Ireland in the 20th century. A time of almost constant war and partisan division, the period from the foundation of the modern Irish state to the recent peace accords in Northern Ireland was marked by shifting allegiances, sometimes unscrupulous leaders, and ideological strife. T.G. Fraser takes a balanced view, noting that the vast majority of Ireland's people, north and south, wished only for the peace and prosperity that began to emerge, albeit very slowly, after Ireland and Great Britain joined the European Community in 1973. The book closes with a useful bibliography for further reading. --Gregory McNamee