E-Thesis 663 views
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. / Alun Wyn Thomas
Swansea University Author: Alun Wyn Thomas
Abstract
This thesis addresses the campaign of militant activism which Wales witnessed between 1963 and 1969. It demonstrates that the unprecedented period of violence was fuelled by both the contentious flooding of Cwm Tryweryn and crucially, the failure of Plaid Cymru to prevent the valley's drowning...
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2010
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Institution: | Swansea University |
Degree level: | Doctoral |
Degree name: | Ph.D |
URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42580 |
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2020-10-06T12:47:27.1729802 v2 42580 2018-08-02 Wales and militancy 1952-1970. a14c6a9321344c831439bea6ef0bd4a1 NULL Alun Wyn Thomas Alun Wyn Thomas true true 2018-08-02 This thesis addresses the campaign of militant activism which Wales witnessed between 1963 and 1969. It demonstrates that the unprecedented period of violence was fuelled by both the contentious flooding of Cwm Tryweryn and crucially, the failure of Plaid Cymru to prevent the valley's drowning through constitutional means. By not taking passive and timely protest action, Plaid Cymru ensured that militancy, as predominately undertaken by Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, became a feature of the Welsh geo-political landscape. Moreover, had the party taken a more sharpened approach during the earlier stages of the proposal, it is likely that the emergence of the so-called Free Wales Army, which campaigned along the lines of using 'propaganda against the Establishment', may well have been avoided. However, this is a view which is challenged by, among others, former members of the displaced community, who maintain that Plaid Cymru - and most notably its president - did all they could to prevent the Tryweryn Reservoir Bill becoming law. Nonetheless, the escalation in militant strategy came in response to the impending Royal Investiture of Charles Windsor as Prince of Wales. In retaliation, the authorities established the so-called Shrewsbury Unit. This was borne of an increasingly desperate attempt to apprehend those responsible, in order to ensure the safety of the Royal Party and the success of the ceremony. By considering the publicity conscious Free Wales Army, the thesis demonstrates that the group undertook one failed militant strike. It also establishes that the militant offensive undertaken by MAC comprised two distinct phases. The first in 1963 was predominately marshalled by Emyr Llywelyn Jones. The second period of hostilities, between 1966 and 1969, was orchestrated by John Jenkins; who critically, was a Sergeant in the British Army Dental Corps. This thesis seeks to reinstate the importance of the militant campaign in Welsh history, neither by judging it nor dismissing it, but by establishing the importance of these protests to both the nation's history and its cultural and political advance. It also establishes the detail of what happened, while seeking to tell the story in a balanced way, paying full attention to the perspective of the perpetrators and those actively engaged in their detection. E-Thesis European history.;Political science. 31 12 2010 2010-12-31 Due to Embargo and/or Third Party Copyright restrictions, this thesis is not available via this service. COLLEGE NANME History COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Doctoral Ph.D 2020-10-06T12:47:27.1729802 2018-08-02T16:24:29.7278068 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - History Alun Wyn Thomas NULL 1 |
title |
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. |
spellingShingle |
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. Alun Wyn Thomas |
title_short |
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. |
title_full |
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. |
title_fullStr |
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. |
title_sort |
Wales and militancy 1952-1970. |
author_id_str_mv |
a14c6a9321344c831439bea6ef0bd4a1 |
author_id_fullname_str_mv |
a14c6a9321344c831439bea6ef0bd4a1_***_Alun Wyn Thomas |
author |
Alun Wyn Thomas |
author2 |
Alun Wyn Thomas |
format |
E-Thesis |
publishDate |
2010 |
institution |
Swansea University |
college_str |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
hierarchytype |
|
hierarchy_top_id |
facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences |
hierarchy_top_title |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
hierarchy_parent_id |
facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences |
hierarchy_parent_title |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
department_str |
School of Culture and Communication - History{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - History |
document_store_str |
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active_str |
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description |
This thesis addresses the campaign of militant activism which Wales witnessed between 1963 and 1969. It demonstrates that the unprecedented period of violence was fuelled by both the contentious flooding of Cwm Tryweryn and crucially, the failure of Plaid Cymru to prevent the valley's drowning through constitutional means. By not taking passive and timely protest action, Plaid Cymru ensured that militancy, as predominately undertaken by Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, became a feature of the Welsh geo-political landscape. Moreover, had the party taken a more sharpened approach during the earlier stages of the proposal, it is likely that the emergence of the so-called Free Wales Army, which campaigned along the lines of using 'propaganda against the Establishment', may well have been avoided. However, this is a view which is challenged by, among others, former members of the displaced community, who maintain that Plaid Cymru - and most notably its president - did all they could to prevent the Tryweryn Reservoir Bill becoming law. Nonetheless, the escalation in militant strategy came in response to the impending Royal Investiture of Charles Windsor as Prince of Wales. In retaliation, the authorities established the so-called Shrewsbury Unit. This was borne of an increasingly desperate attempt to apprehend those responsible, in order to ensure the safety of the Royal Party and the success of the ceremony. By considering the publicity conscious Free Wales Army, the thesis demonstrates that the group undertook one failed militant strike. It also establishes that the militant offensive undertaken by MAC comprised two distinct phases. The first in 1963 was predominately marshalled by Emyr Llywelyn Jones. The second period of hostilities, between 1966 and 1969, was orchestrated by John Jenkins; who critically, was a Sergeant in the British Army Dental Corps. This thesis seeks to reinstate the importance of the militant campaign in Welsh history, neither by judging it nor dismissing it, but by establishing the importance of these protests to both the nation's history and its cultural and political advance. It also establishes the detail of what happened, while seeking to tell the story in a balanced way, paying full attention to the perspective of the perpetrators and those actively engaged in their detection. |
published_date |
2010-12-31T03:53:14Z |
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1763752641728348160 |
score |
11.037056 |