The first chapter situates debate on social change in Ireland within the context of the debate on the transition. There are three aspects of this, the economic, the political and the cultural, which provide three themes running through each chapter. I begin by situating Ireland within the international socio-political context. The economic expansion in Ireland is related to the international expansion and the the emergence of revisionism is related to the emergence of modernization theory. This is to say that the basic characteristics of the Irish situation are related to the international one. I then go on to situate these factors within the larger historical context of the development of capitalism and the emergence of bourgeois political economy. The reversal of social change in Ireland is in turn described and related to the international situation. This international situation has promoted the development of a neo-Marxist theory of imperialism as a critique of modernization. The terms of this critique are outlined in terms of mode of production and the conditions for the transition. This sets the scene for the second chapter. The second chapter deals with the debate on the transition from feudalism to capitalism. On an empirical level the case of the transition in England is used. The basic characteristics of the feudal mode of production in England are described. Following this the process of historical change is described and within the context of the theoretical debate an attempt is made to locate the determining influences. The debate basically turns upon whether commercialization or class conflict was the determining factor. The evidence in comparison to other countries would seem to suggest that the transformation of class relations was the decisive factor. Having clarified this issue the next step is to look at Ireland historically within the context of this transition. This involves firstly a reconstruction of the mode of production in Ireland prior to colonization and secondly a delineation of the new mode of production which resulted from a merger with the embryonic capitalist mode. On the basis of the theory of transition we can then set out to explain how the social relations of colonial society obstructed the conditions whereby capital accumulation could take place. The social relations which forced an increase in relative surplus value were not created. Instead the commercialization of society saw a huge increase in output and upon this increase a rentier class developed. In the north-east social relations were different and thus also the form of economic development. Chapter four examines how the accumulation of industrial capital created areas of different levels of productivity. In Britain the increase in relative surplus value led to a concentration and centralization of production and a massive expansion of output. In Ireland, on the other hand, the social relations enabled no increase in absolute surplus value and created no capital accumulation. The fall in the rate of surplus value reduced the share of surplus available for peasants whicheventually lead to a famine followed by mass emigration and a restructuring of Irish agriculture. This created the social conditions for the Irish land war. The dual structure which modernization theorists take to be evidence of transition is explained in terms of this question of surplus value. In the North-East social conditions led to an increase in relative surplus value and an accumulation of capital. The logic of concentration and centralization which this involved eventually led to industrialization. This created a further element in the opposition to nationalism. Chapter five looks at the movement towards the secession of Ireland from Britain within the context of Imperialism or Finance Capital. The logic of industrial concentration and centralization led to the development of national trusts and created intense national rivalry. This led to an international conflict in 1914 and to a subsequent break-up of empires. Ireland was part of this process. The effect of this industrial concentration on Irish agriculture was the centralization of certain agricultural processes combined with the creation of peasant proprietorship. This provided the social basis for the war of independence. In the North-east, on the other hand, capital accumulation had meant a closer integration of the economy and society into 'Britain which culminated in the successful opposition to Republicanism. Chapter six brings the debate up to the era of the multinationals and Ireland's reintegration into the international economy. The major feature here is the move away from the export of primary products to the export of manufactured goods through multinational companies. The effect of this was a commercialization of the economy without the creation of the conditions of capital accumulation. The logic of capital accumulation marginalized Irish industry rather than revolutionizing it. The result was that in the next phase of concentration Ireland was effectively bypassed.