This article will explore two relatively neglected features of the Irish Republican Army’s (I.R.A.) guerrilla war between 1919 and 1921: internal discipline and forced participation. The gravest disciplinary measure was the death penalty and I.R.A. orders directed that it should apply to members guilty of certain offences against the army. While British army and police officials often insisted that the I.R.A. executed its own without scruple, the death penalty was rarely carried out in practice. General Headquarters (G.H.Q.) was largely unsuccessful in applying a standard disciplinary code and there was also a general inconsistency and lack of rigour in applying other punitive measures for less serious offences. On a related theme, it was not uncommon for soldiers to be ‘conscripted’ or forced to take part in operations under duress during irregular warfare. In the Irish case, this idea has rarely been discussed. It will be argued here that, along with the death penalty and strict punitive measures, forced participation was an uncomfortable idea and often counter-productive in practice. The nature and extent of discipline and coercion was also firmly dictated by local conditions and personalities.

中文翻译：

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'让后面的恐怖大于前面的恐怖'？内部纪律、强制参与和爱尔兰共和军，1919-21

本文将探讨 1919 年至 1921 年间爱尔兰共和军 (IRA) 游击战争中两个相对被忽视的特征：内部纪律和强制参与。最严厉的纪律措施是死刑，爱尔兰共和军命令指示它应该适用于犯有某些反军罪行的成员。虽然英国军队和警察官员经常坚持爱尔兰共和军无所顾忌地执行自己的死刑，但实际上很少执行死刑。总司令部（GHQ）在应用标准纪律守则方面基本上没有成功，在对不太严重的罪行适用其他惩罚措施方面也普遍存在不一致和缺乏严格性。在一个相关的主题上，在非正规战争中，士兵被“征召入伍”或被迫参加在胁迫下的行动并不少见。在爱尔兰的案例中，这个想法很少被讨论。这里将提出，除了死刑和严格的惩罚措施外，强制参与是一个令人不安的想法，而且在实践中往往适得其反。纪律和强制的性质和程度也由当地的条件和个性决定。