This is a historical study that explores the role of the British army during the crucial 30-year period that culminated in the Curragh Incident of 1914. The author argues that the government's pursuit of a military middle ground between coercion and conciliation aggravated rather than diminished Ireland's turmoil. During this period relations between Britain and Ireland were particularly complex. As Muenger points out, the British government had four separate Ireland's to deal with: Catholic Ireland, Protestant Ireland, Dublin Castle Ireland (civil government) and military Ireland (British army). Confusion spread and hostilities began to develop. Two factors, argues the author, fanned the flames: the British government's lack of a clearly defined policy towards the Irish Republic and the British army's isolation both from the Irish people and from its own War Office. This book also addresses a number of broader issues Britain faced in ruling the colonial empire, using Ireland as an example. The author's other books include The Horizon: A History of NASA.