Monarchism, International Relations, and the Continuing Irish Revolution, 1926–29

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article deals with how the Irish pro-Treaty elite approached the question of the monarchy, partition, and the state’s place within the British commonwealth of nations and the wider international community. Rejecting the notion that this monarchism was indicative of a counter-revolution, the article contends that it was anti-imperial in nature. In this regard, it breaks new ground in our understanding not only of the philosophy of the pro-Treaty governments, but also in the connection between their vision and that of anti-Treaty groupings. It focuses on how Irish statesmen's ideas about the place of the crown in the commonwealth influenced their behaviour on the international stage, particularly the 1926 Imperial Conference, the 1927 Geneva Naval Conference, and the Kellogg-Briand Pact, illustrating that while the youngest dominion was certainly the most obstreperous it was not wholly convincing in its ability to win over the other dominions to its point of view. Ultimately, it contends that the primary motivation behind the state’s diplomatic efforts was the achievement of political independence by non-violent means, and that this should compel historians to reconsider some of the central features of the counter-revolutionary thesis.