19 April 2012: Losses and Consequences

Four Courts Shelling
(Taken from www.theirishhistory.com)

After discussing in detail the tactics employed by both sides, it may not come as a surprise to learn of the actual number of people killed throughout the conflict. In addition to the losses to many prominent figures from both sides, there were significant losses sustained to both the fighting forces and civilians. It is estimated that somewhere around 4000 people were killed during the war. This may not seem like a very high number compared to the First or Second World War, but you must remember the stage of the conflict. For example, both World Wars encompassed many different armies from all over the world (hence the name World War). The Irish Civil War was a war between the two divided side of one army, admittedly an army that was already suffering from its war with Britain during the Irish War of Independence. Any amount of human life due to conflict is tragic, but 4000 lives taken out of a struggling land is horrific.

Burning of a political building.
(Taken from http://downtonabbeyhistory.tumblr.com/)

The impact of the war did not just influence the population and strength of the military in Ireland, it also severely impacted the nation's economy. Because of all of the destruction caused by both sides to public infrastructure due to sabotage, important delivery lines were severed. These roads and railways could no longer be used to transport vital resources to the various parts of the country. During that time, railway lines were the fastest way to transport these items so taking away the most valuable transportation method had a very negative impact on the economy of Ireland because of the inability to buy, sell and deliver goods. It is estimated that nearly £50 million ($68,000,000) worth of property and infrastructure was destroyed throughout the whole war. Not only were vital transportation lines destroyed, many political and administrative buildings were also destroyed. Many of these buildings were burned. Even today, this is an enormous amount of money. It was considered even higher given this all took place in the early 1920's. The country was reeling from the sheer amount of money it would cost just to try to repair some of the damages that had taken pace during the war.

The fighting was finally over but the Irish still had a long road ahead of them in order to get back to any type of political, economic or national stability. The had to sort out all of the political problems that came as a result of many of the leaders being assassinated during the war. They also had to try to figure out how to rebuild much of the infrastructure throughout the country. Not to mention simply rebuilding or saving what little was left of a lot of the political buildings in the major cities. The Irish had it very rough through the early decades of the 20th Century, but they were to blame for some of these problems. Next week I will discuss some of the political issues and the lasting impact or legacy the war had on Irish culture.

Walsh, Paul V. "The Irish Civil War." Bob Rowen. NYMAS, 11 Dec 1998. Web. 19 Apr 2012. <http://bobrowen.com/nymas/irishcivilwar.html>.