Charles Townshend – författare

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021'A model of research and analysis ... Townshend's concise and intelligent book tells a painful story that is probably not yet over' Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph A compelling history of the turbulent journey to Irish independence, published for the centenary of the PartitionIn the aftermath of the horrors of the Irish Famine, the grim, distrustful relationship between Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom deteriorated into a generations-long argument about 'Home Rule'. The unprecedented nature of the Irish problem - with most Irish people wanting to break away from the world's largest Empire - made it extraordinarily difficult for either side to come up with a compromise. For many years actual independence seemed inconceivable. And then, as these bitter disputes continued, it became clear that under no circumstances would the Protestants be party to any of it.The Partition is a remarkable, clear-sighted and thoughtful account of how two unthinkable events - full Irish independence and the creation of the state of Northern Ireland - came to pass. The Irish nationalist claim to leave ran into a loyalist demand to remain, increasingly centred on the north-eastern Protestant community, threatening large-scale violent resistance.Here Charles Townshend lays out what is ultimately a tragic story, as partition became the only answer to an otherwise insoluble problem. The settlement of the Irish question drew in every major politician, conjured up heroes and villains, led to civil war and finally to Ulster's catastrophic Troubles. The hard border has always been seen as a failure of both British and Irish statecraft, but has endured now for a century. The Partition brilliantly brings to life the contingency and uncertainty that created it.'A timely and important book ... so much of its content remains relevant to understanding contemporary preoccupations and controversies' Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times

A gripping narrative of the most critical years in modern Ireland's history - from Charles Townshend, author of Easter 1916TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014The protracted, terrible fight for independence pitted the Irish against the British and the Irish against other Irish. It was both a physical battle of shocking violence against a regime increasingly seen as alien and unacceptable and an intellectual battle for a new sort of country. The damage done, the betrayals and grim compromises put the new nation into a state of trauma for at least a generation, but at a nearly unacceptable cost the struggle ended: a new republic was born.Charles Townshend's Easter 1916 opened up the astonishing events around the Rising for a new generation and in The Republic he deals, with the same unflinchingly wish to get to the truth behind the legend, with the most critical years in Ireland's history. There has been a great temptation to view these years through the prisms of martyrology and good-and-evil. The picture painted by Townshend is far more nuanced and sceptical - but also never loses sight of the ordinary forms of heroism performed by Irish men and women trapped in extraordinary times.'The author has devoted his life to the study of Irish history and this huge work is the pinnacle of his labours' John Banville on Easter 1916

Now with a new preface for the centenary of the Easter Rising, a compelling interpretation of the rebellion that launched Ireland into a new world.Before Easter 1916 Dublin had been a city much like any other British city, comparable to Bristol or Liverpool and part of a complex, deep-rooted British world. Many of Dublin's inhabitants wanted to weaken or terminate London's rule but there remained a vast and conflicting range of visions of that future: far more immediate was the unfolding disaster of the First World War that had put 'home rule' issues on ice for the duration. The devastating events of that Easter changed everything. Both the rising itself and-even more significantly-the ferocious British response ended any sense at all that Dublin could be anything other than the capital of an independent country, as an entire nation turned away in revulsion from the British artillery and executions. More than a century after these events, it is time for a new account of what really happened over those fateful few days. What did the rebels actually hope to achieve? What did the British think they were doing? And how were the events really interpreted by ordinary people across Ireland? Vivid, authoritative and gripping, Easter 1916 is a major work.

In this widely acclaimed study, Charles Townshend reexamines the historical circumstances that generated violence as a habitual part of political dialogue in Ireland. Drawing on an extensive range of original sources, he describes and analyzes the crucial relationship between the use of terror and intimidation by resistance groups and the efforts of government to impose authority by force.

In recent years, such episodes as the death of Blair Peach, the Miners' Strike, the Scarman Report, and the Ponting and Stalker affairs have raised serious doubts as to whether the `British trick' of maintaing law and order by consensus is still feasible. Beginning with the Swing, Chartist, and Plug Riots, Charles Towshend shows how public order was steadily tightened during the Victorian era and how that process has continued throughout this century, thanks to such legislation as the Official Secrets, Public Order, Defence of the Realm, and Emergency Powers Acts.This is a wide-ranging and readable historical analysis of the fundamental concepts on which the law-and-order debate rests. In addition to exploring the issues and events that have influenced mainland affairs, Professor Townshend also examines the Irish situation between the First Land Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and offers valuable insights into the periodic `crises of order' that seem to be threatening modern Britain.

Is one person's terrorist another's freedom fighter? Is terrorism crime or war? Can there be a 'War on Terror'? For many, the terrorist attacks of September 2001 changed the face of the world, pushing terrorism to the top of political agendas, and leading to a series of world events including the war in Iraq and the invasion of Afghanistan. The recent terror attacks in various European cities have shown that terrorism remains a crucial issue today. Charting a clear path through the efforts to understand and explain modern terrorism, Charles Townshend examines the historical, ideological, and local roots of terrorist violence.Starting from the question of why terrorists find it so easy to seize public attention, this new edition analyses the emergence of terrorism as a political strategy, and discusses the objectives which have been pursued by users of this strategy from French revolutionaries to Islamic jihadists. Considering the kinds of groups and individuals who adopt terrorism, Townshend discusses the emergence of ISIS and the upsurge in individual suicide action, and explores the issues involved in finding a proportionate response to the threat they present, particularly by liberal democratic societies. Analysing the growing use of knives and other edged weapons in attacks, and the issue of 'cyberterror', Townshend details the use of counterterrorist measures, from control orders to drone strikes, including the Belgian and French responses to the Brussels, Paris, Nice, and Rouen attacks.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Ireland in the twentieth century has had a very different history from that of most other western European countries. The two most profound shocks of the century, the world wars, met Ireland obliquely rather than head-on. Partition and civil war, on the other hand, were embittering experiences felt at first hand, the legacies of which snake their course through its subsequent history. How did the Irish 'revolution' come about and what was its nature? How did Ulster end up with the rich irony of being the only part of Ireland to embrace Home Rule? How well did the new Republic's promise of freedom assuage the painful reality, until the 1960s, of low economic growth and persistent emigration? Why was the Northern Ireland state unable or unwilling to conciliate its minority Catholic population? These are among the many issues addressed in Charles Townshend's masterful account, one in which, to use the words of a reviewer of an earlier work of his, 'outstanding coolness, judiciousness and flair' combine with penetrating powers of analysis.It is the first account to cover the whole of Ireland, north and south, from the origins of Sinn Fein at the beginning of the century to the Stormont agreement at the end.

Since 2003, Iraq has rarely left the headlines. But less discussed is the fact that Iraq as we know it was created by the British, in one of the most dramatic interventions in recent history. A cautious strategic invasion by British forces led - within seven years - to imperial expansion on a dizzying scale, with fateful consequences for the Middle East and the world. In When God Made Hell, Charles Townshend charts Britain's path from one of its worst military disasters to extraordinary success with largely unintended consequences, through overconfidence, incompetence and dangerously vague policy. With monumental research and exceptionally vivid accounts of on-the-ground warfare, this a truly gripping account of the Mesopotamia campaign, and its place in the wider political and international context. For anyone seeking to understand the roots of British involvement in Iraq, it is essential reading.