Michael Collins and Terrorism

Paper Summary:

In this essay, the writer maintains that the legend and reality of the life of Michael Collins is matter of much debate and also a certain amount of mystery. The writer notes that the subject of Collins' motivations and character are dealt with in the film "Michael Collins" directed by Neil Jordan. The writer points out that there is a certain amount of ambiguity with which the film attempts to deal, in that Collins is the instigator of a brutal form of guerrilla warfare used as a reaction against the occupying British forces. The central aim of these actions was to oust the British from Ireland and to achieve an independent Irish Republic. There are two central aspects that this paper attempts to address in light of the view that the film puts forward about Collins. Firstly, the writer notes the view of Collins as an Irish patriot and secondly the writer assesses Collins' methods of retaliation against the British forces in Ireland.

From the Paper:

"The film itself leaves little doubt that the tactics that Collins employed against the British, while ethically questionable, were the only tactics that he felt were left to him in the face of the overwhelming force of British domination. At one point in the films he states that he hates the British not because of their nationality, colonial dominance or even their brutality, but because they have left him no choice but to employ harsh tactics that would increase violence and hatred. This reasoning is similar to the rationale behind many other guerilla or terrorist groups and tactics throughout the world. There is also suggestion in the film and the literature that the way that Collins used guerrilla tactics against the British was emulated by other leaders and groups such as Argentinean Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara."
"This reason for the use of guerilla or terrorist tactics is often given as being inevitable, when a smaller force is faced by an intimidating and overwhelming or numerically superior oppressor that cannot be fought in a conventional manner."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Introduction: a foreword by Neil Jordan. May 29, 2006. http://michaelcollins.warnerbros.com/cmp/introduction.html
• "Michael Collins" directed by Neil Jordan .Warner. 1966.
• Mullan D. and Mullin J. Terrorism Defined and Exemplified. 2004. May 29, 2006. http://www.phoblacht.net/terdefexpjmdm.html
• RELIGIOUS TERRORISM. May 27, 2006. http://faculty.ncwc.edu/TOConnor/429/429lect13.htm
• Shulgasser B. COLLINS' TERRORIST AS HERO. 1996. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/10/25/WEEKEND973.dtl

More papers on Michael Collins and Terrorism:

• Term Paper # 100156 : "Michael Collins"
• Analytical Essay # 130329 : "Michael Collins: An Analysis of Tactics"
• Descriptive Essay # 112982 : "The Irish Republican Army"

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