The Politics of Conscription in Northern Ireland, 1938-1946

This article examines how wartime debates over the possible introduction of military conscription reshaped conceptions of citizenship and political authority in Northern Ireland between 1938 – 1946. Drawing on primary documents from Northern Ireland, Éire, and Great Britain, it traces how Unionists initially championed conscription as a way to affirm equal status with Britain, even as they upheld internal hierarchies that disadvantaged Catholics. Yet divisions within Unionist ranks—exacerbated by British reluctance to enforce conscription—challenged long-standing assumptions of Protestant “loyalty” and Catholic “disloyalty.” At the same time, Nationalists framed conscription as an illegitimate imposition by a foreign state, underscoring their self-identification as Irish citizens under occupation. Perhaps paradoxically, by forgoing conscription, Britain gained a measure of legitimacy in Catholic eyes, encouraging some Nationalists to engage more constructively with British institutions and signaling new possibilities for political accommodation. In revealing these wartime dynamics, this analysis highlights how the conscription controversy helped recalibrate citizenship, unsettle entrenched power structures, and broaden the political landscape in Northern Ireland.