Ireland's entry into the Second World War ensured its territorial unification, but it came at a cost.Throughout the 1950's, Ireland attached itself ever closer to the seemingly prosperous German Reich, adopting its military as a model, and its companies as sources of revenue. This close attachment has meant that Ireland went down with the sinking ship that was the German economy. While extremism on both sides of the isle rose since the crash, Éamon de Valera's successor, Seán Lemass, took the necessary steps to protect Irish democracy and independence, at the great expense of individual freedoms.Meanwhile, Ireland's northern counties, ruled by Neil Blaney, appear more unstable by the day, and its mismanagement could well prove the final nail in democracy's coffin.