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AP Success - AP European History: Irish Republican Army

The excerpt is from the IRA Handbook on Guerrilla Warfare, published in 1956, which highlights the history and tradition of guerrilla warfare in Ireland.

Source 1

No nation has a greater tradition of guerrilla warfare than Ireland. Our history is full of examples of its successful use. We have produced some fine guerilla leaders whose true qualities have never been fully assessed. Their strength lay in the support they received from the Irish people…

A small nation fighting for freedom can only hope to defeat an oppressor or occupying power by means of guerrilla warfare. The enemy’s superiority in manpower, resources, materials and everything else… can only be overcome by the correct application of guerrilla methods.

Guerilla warfare might be defined as the resistance of all the people to enemy power. In the struggle, the guerrillas act as the spearhead of the resistance. Up to the Second World War, the military textbooks ignored this phase of warfare. After that, they couldn’t afford to ignore it…

An Irish Republican Army (IRA) Handbook on Guerrilla Warfare, 1956

Question 1

Short answer

Identify one perspective about guerilla warfare described in the excerpt.

Question 2

Short answer

Describe the IRA's likely purpose in commissioning this handbook.

Question 3

Short answer

Explain one way that the tactics described in the excerpt affected Britain's domestic policies from 1956-2000.

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