Abstract
“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.
