Essay Questions

How was anti-Semitism employed to discourage emigration from Ireland?

The Irish girls are encouraged to stay at home instead of going to England, where they are likely to live with Jews. The predominant question of the time was, "Would you like to see any girl whom you had any interest going to a Jewman’s house in the English slums?" This question suggests that staying in Ireland, where families are predominantly Catholic, is better than going to England. The anti-Semites believe that Catholicism is superior to the Jewish religion. The anti-Semites ignore the realities of unemployment and deprivation that contribute to emigration.

Why did Ireland fail to leverage its membership at the Council of Europe?

Ireland’s focus while in the council was complaining about post-colonialism. The complaints were dreary and failed to strengthen Ireland’s standing in the international community. O’Toole observes, "Even when Ireland did have some kind of international presence, it tended to use it merely to lament its own post-colonial condition." The delegates from Ireland focused more on the evils that were being experienced in Ireland. The evils were attributed to British colonialism. The complaints were a setback in the integration of European countries since they triggered disputes between the British and Irish delegates.

How did protectionism impact the Irish economy?

Ireland’s extreme protectionism hindered the country from relishing the fruits of free trade. O’Toole remarks, "It was a deliberate disengagement from world trade: in the decade before the Second World War, Ireland was the most aggressively protectionist of all the small European countries." Although protectionism was intended to guard the Irish industries, it was detrimental to the balance of trade. The country could not export to other countries due to its aggressiveness. Similarly, the countries' imports declined.