Overview
\Why do people commit violent acts? This indepth case study of Provisional Irish Republicans, based primarily on interviews with activists, goes a long way toward explaining small group political violence. This unique oral history is valuable not only for those concerned with Irish or British politics but also for those in many social science disciplines and the entire sub-field of terrorism and political violence. This is interesting reading that makes the Irish political activists come alive.
The case study opens with a history of the IRA and the Provisional Irish Republican Army and Provisional Sinn Fein since 1969. The people who participate in the republican movement are described in vivid detail; they tell about themselves and how they were recruited. The findings, implications, and a mobilization/political process perspective are analyzed carefully.