The Nationalists who shaped our future If asked about important Welsh figures during the last century, would you remember Saunders Lewis first and foremost for his plays, such as Siwan or Monica, or for being jailed for the burning of Penyberth bombing school? What about Gwynfor Evans, is he best remembered as the man who threatened to starve himself to death for a Welsh language television channel? What about Dafydd Wigley and Dafydd Elis-Thomas? Is it internal Plaid rivalry which comes to mind? If so, think again! These four men were the architects of Welsh nationalism today. Not only were these four leaders of Plaid Cymru, but also leaders of Welsh nationalist ideology in the twentieth century. Rhoi Cymrun Gyntaf: Syniadaeth Plaid Cymru (Putting Wales First: The Ideology of Plaid Cymru) delves into the personal agendas and politics of each leader and examines how each of their doctrines influenced the party and wider nationalist thinking. But what is nationalism? Where does it come from? Is Welsh nationalism intrinsically different from any other nationalism? From a hidden affection to a rousing cheer, nationalism can take many different forms. The book charts the history of nationalism side by side with the history and development of Plaid Cymru, from its establishment in 1925 to the mid 1990s and the threshold of devolution. The book discusses the ideological roots of nationalism as a European phenomenon born in the Lutherian Germany, through to Machiavelian Italy and Tudor Britain. It places Welsh nationalism and the development of Plaid Cymru within a European and international context, under the narrative of the distinguished interpretor of Welsh Politics, Dr Richard Wyn Jones. The author, originally from Anglesey, is Director of the Institute of Welsh Politics at the world renowned International Poiltics department at Aberystwyth University.

Dr Richard Wyn Jones said, Although Plaid Cymru has been a comparatively small political party throughout its existence, there has been a group of people of genuine substance involved in its policy making and work. Names like Saunders Lewis and D.J. Davies instantly spring to mind from the early years, and Phil Williams and Raymond Williams from more recent times, along with figures such as Gwynfor Evans and R.Tudur Jones. One aim that I had with this volume was to understand what attracted them these great men to the ranks of Welsh nationalism and also to understand their personal visions for Wales, its people and its place in the world. Before this book, although there have been extremely valuable studies on different periods of the history of Plaid Cymru, there wasnt a comprehensive study on the history of Plaid Cymru as a whole from the beginning to the present and that is what I have attempted to do. This first volume guides the reader through the early years on the fringes of the political stage the days of the scorned upon Plaid Fach (Little Party) up to the threshold of devolution.