Sunningdale, the Ulster workers' council strike and the struggle for democracy in Northern Ireland / edited by David McCann and Cillian McGrattan.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

McCann, David (David Patrick), editor.

McGrattan, Cillian, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

General Strike, Northern Ireland, 1974.

Northern Ireland--Politics and government.

Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland--History--1968-1998.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 217 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester : Manchester Universiy Press, 2017.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The 'Sunningdale experiment' of 1973-74 witnessed the first attempt at establishing peace in Northern Ireland based on power-sharing. However, its provisions, particularly the cross-border 'Council of Ireland', proved to be a step too far. The experiment floundered amidst ongoing paramilitary-led violence and collapsed in May 1974 as a result of the Ulster Workers' Council Strike. Yet, many of the ideas first articulated in this period would resonate in later attempts to cultivate peace and foster a democratic. This collection asks what became of those ideas and what lessons can we learn looking back on Sunningdale over forty years hence.Drawing on a range of new scholarship from some of the key political historians working on the period, this book presents a series of reflections on how key protagonists struggled with ideas concerning 'power-sharing' and an 'Irish dimension' and how those struggles inhibited a deepening of democracy and the ending of violence for so long. The book will be essential reading for any student of the Northern Irish conflict and for readers with a general interest in the contemporary history of British-Irish governmental relations.

Contents:

THE 1989 REVOLUTIONS in Central and Eastern Europe: From Communism to Pluralism; Half Title Page; Title Page; Copyright; Contents; Notes on contributors; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations and glossary of terms; Timeline: Eastern Europe, 1945-91; Leaders of East European and Soviet communist parties, 1945-91; East European communist parties and their post-communist successors; 1. The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe: origins, processes, outcomes: Kevin McDermott and Matthew Stibbe; 2. Echoes and precedents: 1989 in historical perspective: Robin Okey

3. The multifaceted external Soviet role in processes towards unanticipated revolutions: Mary Buckley4. 'When your neighbour changes his wallpaper': The 'Gorbachev factor' and the collapse of the German Democratic Republic: Peter Grieder; 5. The demise of communism in Poland: a staged evolution or failed revolution?: Tom Junes; 6. The international context of Hungarian transition, 1989: the view from Budapest*: László Borhi; 7. Creating security from below: peace movements in East and West Germany in the 1980s: Holger Nehring

13. From the 'thirst for change' and 'hunger for truth' to a 'revolution that hardly happened': public protests and reconstructions: Nikolai Vukov Afterword: the discursive constitution of revolution and revolution envy: James Krapfl; Select bibliography; Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 24 Apr 2026).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 198-209) and index.

ISBN:

9781526108395

1526108399

9781526124128

1526124122

9780719099519

071909951X

9781526108388

1526108380

OCLC:

1182875057