Originally published in 1966, this pioneering book was the first to deal from many viewpoints with a decade that included the Irish war of independence, the efforts of Irish and British leaders to arrive at a satisfactory settlement, the intricate Treaty negotiations and the tragic civil war and its aftermath. The period it covers, between the Easter Rising of 1916 and the first years of the new Irish Free State government are among the most contentious of modern Irish history and this book, written by eminent Irish and British historians illuminates and explains this period.