Ireland, 1912-1985: Politics and Society (Paperback)

~ Joseph J. Lee (Author) "The Parliament Act of 1911 broke the power of the House of Lords to defy the popular will as represented in the House of Commons..." (more)
Key Phrases: performer ethic, possessor principle, possessor ethic, Fine Gael, Irish Times, Central Bank (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This excellent study provides a comprehensive account of all economic, cultural and political developments in Ireland rom 1912 to 1985. As such it is a valuable reference book to this period fo Irish history." Irish Echo

"...a detailed, analytical study of 20th-century Ireland, North and South, that is of major importance." C.W. Wood, Jr., Western Carolina University, in Choice

"This book constitutes a major scholarly achievement for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is the first time anyone has produced a detailed and comprehensive history of twentieth century Ireland...Lee's work does all the things that a good general history should do, and then some." British Politics Group

"A seminal, thoroughly researched study of modern Ireland. Immensely readable." Irish Edition

"The book will have admirers and detractors but few will dispute the historiographical impact it will have upon historical monographs for at least another generation. And that has been Lee's enviable hallmark." Irish Literary Supplement.

"Ireland 1912-1985 is a perceptive and at times brilliant analysis of Ireland's performance as an independent nation. It teems with insights on everything from popular mentalities to the rise of the historical profession in Ireland. Despite its massive size, it is never boring....no one seriously interested in the history of Ireland in the twentieth century will want to miss this book." Albion

Product Description

This is the first major study on this scale of Irish performance, North and South, in the twentieth century. Although stressing the primacy of politics in Irish public affairs, it argues that Irish politics must be understood in the broad context of economic, social, administrative, cultural, and intellectual history. The book fully explores the relationship between rhetoric and reality in the Irish mind and views political behavior largely as a product of collective psychology. "The Irish experience" is placed firmly in a comparative context. The book seeks to assess the relative importance of British influence and of indigenous impulses in shaping an independent Ireland, and to identify the relationship between personality and process in determining Irish history. Particularly close attention is paid to individuals such as Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, W.T. Cosgrove, Sir James Craig, J.J. McElligott, Sean Lemass, Terence O'Neill, and Ian Paisley, and to the limits within which even the most powerful personalities were forced to operate.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 776 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 26, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521377412
• ISBN-13: 978-0521377416
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #826,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Modern Irish History, Start Here ..., October 23, 2000

By	Toby Joyce (Blanchardstown, Dublin Ireland) - See all my reviews

It is sad that the most read Irish historian outside Ireland happens to be the Republican fellow-traveller, Tim Pat Coogan. Then, Coogan seems to aim mostly at the Irish-American market. It is sad because Coogan's bias is not widely recognised, whereas if it was, his books would probably be subjected to more than unthinking acceptance. For me, Joe Lee is by far the greater historian, and this work by him beats anything of Coogans into a cocked hat. Not that they disagree overmuch, Lee is also a Nationalist writer, but his judicious weighing of the evidence and his unblinkered and unwavering devotion to historical truth make him by far the better of the two as a writer and a professional historian. One place where they disagree is on the position of De Valera, whom Coogan has dethroned from his former eminence among 'constitutional' Republicans. Lee supplies a far more sympathetic and truthful analysis of 'the Long Fellow'. Another area where American readers may be surprised is the short shrift given to Sean McBride, later a leading light of Amnesty International and a recognised 'jet-set liberal'. However, McBrides interventions in domestic Irish politics were mostly inept and disastrous for this followers and friends. Also for a believer in religious liberty, he was obsequious to the Catholic church in a most apalling fashion. Therefore, read this book to have your expectations challenged, and old opinions undermined. Possibly, the best Irish historical work to emerge from the 20th century, and a book that will be recognised as such.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, objective work from a talented historian., August 24, 1999

By A Customer

Well researched and entertaining, this is the most readable work yet written on the subject of Ireland's painful progress since the early part of the century. The closing sections of Lee's opus contain some intuitive conclusions about his fellow countrymen, particularly the sections entitled 'Character' and 'Perspectives'. Scholarly guff on the subject of Ireland's breach birth and subsequent delinquency are rarely the stuff of bedtime reading but this is easy on the brain, partly due to Lee's strictly logical approach to his theme and partly because of his enormous skill as a writer. If you want a book on Ireland that doesn't read as though it were written by some OAP in a tweed G-string who hasn't seen sunlight since 1965, this is the one for you. Terrific.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ireland, 1912-1985 : Politics and Society, August 23, 2000

By A Customer

Probably the most compelling book I have ever read. Its sheer intellectual scope is a joy to behold. A must for anyone who wishes to understand the complexity of Irish life.