The conflict between the government of Great Britain and the people of Ireland extend from the farthest reaches of the 12th Century when Norman invaders conquered the Ireland. The most recent iteration of this struggle began in the 20th Century with the rise of the most prominent Irish independent group to date, the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The origins of the IRA began as other smaller splinter groups had become inefficient at fighting for Irish independence. Former members of the Irish Volunteers, Irish Citizen Group, and independent freedom fighters coalesced together to name themselves the IRA. (Hart, 1999) In 1919, after World War I, Irish rebels began organizing to gain independence. This effort culminated in the Anglo-Irish War where
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The IRA history itself can be tributed to different eras beyond the initial humble beginnings of 1919. Yet in this aspect the goals of the IRA have not changed from the Anglo-Irish War, the IRA is a organization seeking the establishment of a republic of Ireland with complete unification with Northern Ireland. This is due to the fact that the cause of the IRA is explained through Relative Deprivation Theory.
While the term “Irish Republican Army” had been used sparingly for independent fighters who staged attacks in Britain, the term wasn’t adopted for the organization until 1917 with the unification of the majority of Irish resistance fighters. It was formally introduced as the military fo the Irish Republic by the de facto government of occupied Ireland. This fully explains the fact that Relative Deprivation Theory was the cause of the growth and establishment of the IRA. Relative Deprivation Theory claims that when one person or group, or whatever standard of numbers is also relevant, has something that another person or group has, the first person wants it and believes it to be attainable. (Bossert, 2007) As Thompson describes in their analysis of relative deprivation in Northern Ireland, they made the clear analysis that deprivation of rights and
The IRA history itself can be tributed to different eras beyond the initial humble beginnings of 1919. Yet in this aspect the goals of the IRA have not changed from the Anglo-Irish War, the IRA is a organization seeking the establishment of a republic of Ireland with complete unification with Northern Ireland. This is due to the fact that the cause of the IRA is explained through Relative Deprivation Theory.
While the term “Irish Republican Army” had been used sparingly for independent fighters who staged attacks in Britain, the term wasn’t adopted for the organization until 1917 with the unification of the majority of Irish resistance fighters. It was formally introduced as the military fo the Irish Republic by the de facto government of occupied Ireland. This fully explains the fact that Relative Deprivation Theory was the cause of the growth and establishment of the IRA. Relative Deprivation Theory claims that when one person or group, or whatever standard of numbers is also relevant, has something that another person or group has, the first person wants it and believes it to be attainable. (Bossert, 2007) As Thompson describes in their analysis of relative deprivation in Northern Ireland, they made the clear analysis that deprivation of rights and