Consolidation of Democracy

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What steps did Irish Governments take to consolidate democracy, 1923-1945? Civil war – C na nG – Administration Law & order – Garda Army Mutiny Asserting independence Handed over power Dev – Dismantled Treaty Defeated IRA & Blueshirts Anglo-Irish Agreement – Neutrality ----------------------------------------------- (Following the truce called to end the Civil War, the Cumann na nGael government came to power, following a win for the pro-Treaty sides in the vote on it. They still had to contend with widespread violence in the country, as the extremists rejected the treaty. William T. Cosgrave and Kevin O’Higgins were two of the governments main players in consolidating democracy over the next six years. They kept the same administration who had worked for the British government, to allow continuity, and they adopted British common law. ) 6 (Law and order was the most pressing issue for the new government if they were to succeed in running the country. It was feared that if violence was widespread, the people would be unhappy with the government and begin to look past democracy towards communism or fascism to solve their problems, much like several other countries in Europe. Kevin O’Higgins, Minister for Home Affairs, set up the Garda Síochána. They were an unarmed, respected force, and their main duties were to deal with local issues such as drunken violence and poteen making. They succeeded in curtailing much of the violence which marred the democratic governments reputation.) 7 (One of the major issues to threaten the democratic governments position was the Army Mutiny. Cosgrave began to decommission the Army, as there was no need for so many soldiers and generals now that the War of Independence and the Civil War had ended. However, the army officials and leaders were unhappy with this, as it meant that many of them would be unemployed, and as
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