Crimes of Loyalty

Sectarian murder, torture, bloody power struggles and racketeering are what for many define their image of the Ulster Defence Association. Yet as Northern Ireland's Troubles worsened in 1971 and 1972, it emerged with a mass membership to defend Loyalist areas against the IRA and to uphold the Union with Britain. By 1974 it was able to defy the will of an elected government and it went on to formulate political strategies for working-class Loyalism. Ian S. Wood uses his specialist knowledge as well as extensive interviews to recount these events and the ruthless war waged by the UDA on the nationalist community. He explores issues such as the UDA's descent into criminality and its relationship with the 'secret war' conducted by Britain's undercover services and he assesses what impact the organisation had on the outcome of Europe's worst political and ethnic conflict between 1945 and the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia after 1990.

A blockbuster new book on the UDA. Ian Wood's book Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA, fully captures, from a Protestant perspective, the final deterioration of Irish politics and its slide towards full-blown ethnic hatred from 1969 onwards. -- Neil Mackay The book makes an outstanding contribution to one of the greatest challenges currently faced by the United Kingdom: the bringing of peace to Northern Ireland!Wood is a historian who looks profoundly into motivation of all kinds, avoiding the mindless cliche of so much outside comment, knowing the force of moral judgment lies in the scarcity with which it is used. -- Owen Dudley Edwards, Honorary Fellow, Edinburgh University I would judge this book to be the best scholarly treatment of the subject to date, a study which blends revealing research (particularly in respect of interviews conducted with key figures) and dispassionate and illuminating analysis. -- Graham Walker, School of Politics, Queen's University of Belfast 'Ian Wood's book Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA, while at times overly sympathetic to loyalist figures, fully captures, from a Protestant perspective, the final deterioration of Irish politics and its slide towards full-blown ethnic hatred from 1969 onwards.' Neil Mackay, Scottish Review of Books A blockbuster new book on the UDA. Ian Wood's book Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA, fully captures, from a Protestant perspective, the final deterioration of Irish politics and its slide towards full-blown ethnic hatred from 1969 onwards. The book makes an outstanding contribution to one of the greatest challenges currently faced by the United Kingdom: the bringing of peace to Northern Ireland!Wood is a historian who looks profoundly into motivation of all kinds, avoiding the mindless cliche of so much outside comment, knowing the force of moral judgment lies in the scarcity with which it is used. I would judge this book to be the best scholarly treatment of the subject to date, a study which blends revealing research (particularly in respect of interviews conducted with key figures) and dispassionate and illuminating analysis. 'Ian Wood's book Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA, while at times overly sympathetic to loyalist figures, fully captures, from a Protestant perspective, the final deterioration of Irish politics and its slide towards full-blown ethnic hatred from 1969 onwards.' Neil Mackay, Scottish Review of Books

Ian S. Wood has previously been a lecturer in History at Napier University, Edinburgh and also taught part-time for the Open University. For many years he has been a regular contributor to the press on the conflict in Northern Ireland. His most recent book was Britain, Ireland and the Second World War (Edinburgh University Press, 2010). He is the author of Crimes of Loyalty: A History of the UDA (Edinburgh University Press, 2006) and of two studies of Winston Churchill and a biography of the Scottish Socialist John Wheatley. He has also authored Ireland During the Second World War (2002) and God, Guns and Ulster (2003).