Perceptions and Realities of the Irish Republican Army During the Second World War

This thesis investigates the British and German perception of the IRA and claims that the organization represented an insurmountable obstacle to the progress of both German intelligence and British counter-intelligence. The IRA was also the primary contributor to the political troubles oflrish neutrality during World War II. It examines the perceived threat of the IRA in the minds of the Irish Prime Minister Eamon de Valera and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and those ministers\u27 respective governments. The thesis looks at official debates in the British Parliament and the Irish Dail as well as interwar newspapers and official records. Additionally, the thesis consults the Abwehr II War Diary to compare the Axis interest in the IRA as a means by which to prepare an amphibious\u27assault on Britain through Ireland. By analyzing intelligence records, arrest records, and correspondences to and from Eire during the war, this research lends insight into the real military potential of the IRA and compares that potential to the perceived threat of international terrorism in the 1940s

A study of the factors underlying the sentencing practice of the juvenile courts of Stoke-on-Trent and Leek

This thesis examines the work of two Staffordshire juvenile courts, Stoke-on-Trent and Leek, from the point of view of the factors which are most influential in determining the sentencing decisions of the magistrates. These factors are: the offence, the previous criminal record, offences to be taken into consideration, age, sex and the welfare needs of the juvenile offender. The juvenile court was established in England in 1908. Since then, to have regard for the welfare needs of juvenile offenders had become an important, though not an over-riding, consideration in juvenile court sentencing. The Children and Young Persons Act, 1969, has now made the welfare principle an over-riding consideration in the case of "children". Chapters 2, 3 and 5 deal with the changes which took place until the coming into force of the 1969 Act and the aim of the various sentences. The most recent system is described, though not anaJysed, in Chapter 4. The effect of the welfare principle has been that the juvenile court magistrates are directed to attach no undue importance to the nature of the offence, and devote at least as much of their attention to the welfare needs of the juvenile offender so that they may order a suitable sentence. However, the choice of sentence to suit the welfare needs of the juvenile offenders is bound to conflict in some degree with the business of retributive justice. Chapter 6 describes the problem created by the welfare principle, and states the hypothesis and the aim of the study. The research method is described in Chapter 7. Sentencing takes place within the social setting in which decisions are made. Accordingly, Chapter 8 describes the socio-economic background and the juvenile delinquency in Stoke-on-Trent and Leek. The following Chapter describes the sentencing policies of both courts in 1968. Sentencing is also determined by magistrates' various individual characteristics e.g. age, sex, educational background, experience on the bench, social class and social attitudes. All these characteristics of Stoke-on Trent and Leek magistrates are described in Chapter 10. In the following chapter the effect of social attitudes of magistrates on sentencing is analysed. Chapter 12 contains an investigation of the welfare factor in juvenile court sentencing and of the relation between a measure of magistrates' sentencing attitudes and their actual sentences. Chapter 13 analyses the effect of various factors in sentencing. These factors are as follows: the offence, the previous criminal record, offences to be taken into consideration, the welfare principle, age and sex. The final chapter contains a summary of the main conclusions

Lord Birkenhead and the Irish question

The life of Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead (1872- 1930), was fascinating but puzzling. The second Earl of Birkenhead has described his father as a brilliant failure, a man of tremendous intel­ ligence and talent who failed to reach the pinnacle of success. Most historians have confirmed this assessment but have added a somewhat sinis­ ter element to Birkenhead\u27 s career. Birkenhead is generally depicted as a latter-day condottiere, reckless and unprincipled, who used his great gifts in any expedient or demagogic scheme that would advance his career. This thesis is not a straightforward biography of Birkenhead but an account of the effect which the Irish problem had on British politics from 1912 to 1921 and Birkenhead\u27 s occasionally ambiguous contributions to the solution of that problem. Birkenhead\u27 s personal life and his achievements and activities outside of the Irish question are given only cursory treatment, although the first chapter gives a description of Birkenhead\u27s life up to 1911--with particular emphasis on the constitutional crisis of 1909-11, the bitterness of which helped to .create the tense atmosphere of the Home Rule controversy in 1912-14--and the fourth chapter briefly outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the coalition ministry of 1919-22, thus providing the background for the Irish negotiations in 1921. Events in Ireland are described with some thoroughness in order to show the conditions in that island and the constant pressure which was placed on the British Government to devise a viable policy. For the sake of clarity and chronology, Birkenhead is referred to as Smith until he was raised to the peerage in 1919, after which time he is designated by his title

The Irish Constitution of 1937. From the Irish Free State to Ireland

Předkládaná práce pojednává o tvorbě druhé irské ústavy v dějinách irské samostatnosti. Nahrazení předchozí ústavy bylo motivováno jejím spojením s kontroverzní Anglo-irskou smlouvou z roku 1921. Diplomová práce se zaměřuje na situaci ve 20. a 30. letech 20. století v Irském svobodném státě, kdy zde panovaly vnitřní nepokoje zapříčiněné právě vznikem a uznáním ústavy v roce 1922, od které se irští republikáni chtěli naopak odtrhnout. Jejich úsilí trvalo až do vzniku nové ústavy v roce 1937. Součástí práce je také kapitola věnující se událostem, které předcházely období, kterému se primárně věnuji. Těmito událostmi byla irská válka za nezávislost a následná občanská válka. Hlavní část práce charakterizuje vnitřní situaci v Irském svobodném státě z hlediska sociálních, hospodářských a politických problémů, jelikož všechny se navzájem prolínaly a vedly k nástupu politických sil, které zemi už cíleně vedly k nové legislativě. Nedílnou součástí předkládané práce je příprava a postup, jakým ústava vznikala. Zároveň jsou postiženy kladné i negativní názory důležitých osobností tehdejší doby. Návrhy a změny ústavních zákonů, které postupnou cestou přispěly k výsledné koncepci ústavy v roce 1937, jsou taktéž v práci detailně rozebrány. Klíčová slova Irsko, Velká Británie, Éamon de Valera, Fianna Fáil, irská...The present work deals with the creation of a second Irish Constitution in the history of Irish independence. Replacement of the previous Constitution was motivated by its connection with the controversial Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921. This thesis focuses on the situation in the 20's and 30's of the 20th century, the Irish Free State, when there were internal unrest caused by emergence and recognition of the Constitution 1922 from which the Irish republican on the contrary wanted to break away. Their efforts lasted until the new Constitution in 1937. The work also includes a chapter devoted to the events that preceded the periods, which is primarily devoted. These events were Irish War of Independence and subsequent Civil War. The main part describes the internal situation in the Irish Free State in terms of social, economic and political issues, because all intermingled with each other and lead to the onset political forces that have targeted the country led to the new legislation. An integral part of this work is the preparation and procedure whereby which the Constitution was created. They are also included positive and negative opinions of important personalities of the time. Proposals constitution and amendments laws that gradual way contributed to the final concept of the Constitution 1937 are...Institute of General HistoryÚstav světových dějinFilozofická fakultaFaculty of Art

The Experiences of the Aristocracy in County Westmeath during the period 1879 to 1923.

The abstract is included in the text

The Irish Press and populism in Ireland

This thesis draws on critical perspectives in media and development studies m order to explain the formation, evolution and decline of one of Ireland's national daily newspapers, the Irish Press. From the mid-1970's onward, media and development studies was dominated by the conceptual framework provided by Dependency theory. The crisis of dependency approaches in the mid-1980's led some writers towards a re-orientation of policy studies away from the question of external structural influences and towards a new consideration of class conflicts and the inter-relations between the state, industry and the media. In particular, the work of Latin American theorists Cardoso and Faletto wasre interpreted within media studies to provide a model for concrete studies of specific sociohistorical formations and their interaction with the institutions of the mass media in late industrialising countries. This thesis proposes a critical reading of the model of Cardoso and Faletto with reference to "nationalpopular" phases of development and shows how some of the insights can be used to explain the rise and fall of the Irish Press in Ireland. Hence, it possible to draw an analogy between populism in Latin America and the case of Ireland in the 1930's. The empirical section of the thesis seeks to demonstrate, at one end the political circumstances underlying the foundation of the Irish Press in 1931 and, at another, the construction of a populist discourse of development in the Irish Press. It shows how this discourse sought to incorporate sections of the industrial bourgeoisie, the working class and marginalised rural groups within the Fianna Fail project of 'tate-assisted industrialisation. Finally, the thesis consideis how the multiple contradictions of this populist projet t shaped and influenced the development of the Irish Press from the 1930's to the present In conclusion, the thesis seeks to show that the democratic expectation of the populist era and the radical challenge of the Irish Press were undermined not simply by economic dependency but by the tensions inherent within the populist project

Ulster Unionism and America, 1880-1920

This thesis examines the relationship between Ulster unionists and the United States during the Home Rule era from 1880 to 1920. As they fought to uphold the Union, Ulster unionists reacted to Irish-American involvement in the Irish nationalist movement with anxiety and fear of the impact on a potential Dublin parliament. At the same time, unionists cultivated an image of a violent and extremist Irish-America in order to counter Irish nationalism and support their own movement. Unionists condemned the American funding of Irish nationalism and United States government interference on the Irish question. However, they were also anxious to show that unionism had international appeal, seeking American support against Home Rule and promoting a self-image of close ties to the United States. This thesis argues that Ulster unionists took a multifaceted and paradoxical approach to America, repudiating American involvement in the Irish nationalist movement while attempting to find opportunities to advance the cause of unionism in the United States. Throughout the Home Rule period, the Ulster unionist record of appeals and responses to the United States was marked by unevenness and contradictions which limited their effectiveness. However, unionists increasingly used an idealized, imagined America to support their own movement. They cited American historical and constitutional examples and fostered an Ulster identity based in part on Scotch-Irish heritage and Protestant connections. Ulster unionists were less insular and more internationally focused than they are generally portrayed. Chapter I introduces the historical context and historiographic framework in which the thesis operates. Chapters II and III provide an overview of the relationship between Ulster unionists and the United States from 1880 to 1920. During this period, unionists attempted to garner American support for their movement while contemporaneously responding to Irish-American nationalism and the involvement of the United States government on the Irish question. Subsequent chapters are arranged thematically, examining the elements of the Ulster unionists’ American strategy. Chapter IV investigates Scotch-Irish ethnic revival and associational culture in the United States, analyzing continued links to Ireland and attitudes toward Irish Home Rule. Chapter V provides case-studies of unionist visits to the United States as they endeavored to counter nationalist influence and build up a unionist following. Chapter VI explores the interconnection of religion and politics in Ulster’s relationship with America. Chapter VII examines the impact of American history and politics on the Ulster unionist movement. Chapter VIII concludes that the inability of Ulster unionists to effectively deal with the United States in the present day has roots in the relationship between unionists and America during the Home Rule era