The Irish Civil War: Idealism, Realism & the Struggle for Irish Statehood, 1919-192

As one looks back upon the conflicts of the Twentieth Century, very few can compare in complexity to that of the struggle for Irish independence. While it would seem that the issue of self-rule would be rather cut and dry, the many differing views relating to the how and why of Irish government led to decades of conflict and intolerance. Further, the simple fact that Britain long struggled to maintain control in Ireland was likely representative of an even greater loss of control unfolding for the colonial Superpower. With these factors in mind, it must be realized that the Irish Civil War, at its core, was nothing more than a battle between the most idealistic of revolutionary principles and a sense of realism formed from a hopelessness brought about by centuries of strife and conflict.;Over a period of several years, beginning in 1916, the battle for Irish independence would claim the lives of hundreds of both Irish and British patriots. Moreover, the culmination of this horrific struggle would see countrymen who began the fight in unity turn against one another in a display of base brutality. This viciousness would reveal itself throughout the conflict in a series of tit-for-tat murders and executions that would ultimately fail in bringing any form of satisfactory resolution.;The focus of this study is to strip away the rhetoric that often accompanied the end of this partisan conflict. The sympathies and allegiances that dwell at the heart of this struggle are still alive and well today. This fact offers a rather limited understanding of the core issues. Through this study, a variety sources will be used in order to establish a concrete understanding of how the concepts of idealism and realism can tear down the foundations of brotherhood and quite possibly destroy a nation.