The Troubles 1968 - 1998

Overview


 * Catholic working class put into conflict with Protestant working class
 * Economics can be seen as an underlyin tension
 * Scarce resources and jobs

Civil Rights Movement

 * 1965: Committee created to place second University in Northern Ireland
 * Shockingly it skips (London)derry and gives it to small town
 * Church leaders unite -> All of Derry united in trying to get a University for the city (2nd largest in NI)
 * March on Stormond (Popular movement transcends Northern Ireland secretarian tensions)
 * March fails to change anything -> Government shows it can ignore the will of the people
 * Counter-factual moment -> What would have happened if this succeeded?
 * London/Derry unity breaks down along religious lines


 * 1968 -> Inspires civil rights movements in NI
 * Self-consciously related to US Civil Rights & Paris riots
 * The reactions are mistrust and fear / Working class reactions against Civil Rights (mostly Protestant)
 * Perception of the Civil Rights Movement as Catholic

Civil Rights to Armalites

 * Derry march in 1968 Oct 5th -> Clash with Police
 * Lots of anger


 * March from Belfast to Derry -> Burntallacht Bridge Ambush
 * Rev. Ian Paisley -> Staunchly Protestant/Unionist
 * Organizes people with prayer/attack
 * Battle


 * Battle of the Bogside
 * Every August 12th -> Protestants celebrate victory in siege of Derry in 1689
 * In 1969, Protestants march thru the Bogside (Catholic Neighborhood)
 * Catholics fight back, throw petrol bombs
 * Erect Barricades -> fight for three days (declare themselves "Free Derry")


 * As a consequence, Army deployed
 * Violence takes place (mostly towards Catholic all over NI) 1600 injuerd/10 dead


 * Bernadette Devlin -> Woman elected to Westminster

Paramilitaries

 * Provisional IRA forms out of Catholic Protection groups-> Bombing campaign of 1971
 * UVF/UDA -Ulster Volunteer Forces/ Ulster Defense

New Political Parties

 * Alliance Party
 * SDLP -> Both founded in 1971
 * Hoped to improve economic situation (believed that was the solution)


 * No-Go Areas --> Places in Belfast/Derry where it is dangerous for Protestant Forces to pass
 * Catholic ghettos


 * Jan 30th 1972 -> Bloody Sunday
 * March against internment of IRA ppl -> Banned march
 * British Army fires on crowd, kills 13 wounds more
 * Official denial of wrong-doing


 * 1972 -> Increased violence carried out by Paramilitaries
 * Protestant thuggery
 * Catholic bombing campaigns

Outside NI

 * Rivalries in Glasgow (Rangers vs. Celtic)
 * And Liverpool/London

Peace Process 1970's - 1990's

 * 1972 -> British policy changes: Mainland Britain generally peaceful
 * "Political Slum" in Northern Ireland
 * Northern Ireland "Not on our doorstep, it's in our house" British Prime Minister
 * UK wants NI to become more like mini-Britain
 * Disarm Cops
 * Stop Paramilitary


 * Irish Unity was actually imagined solution
 * 1972 -> Britain decides to totally take over.
 * Suspend rule at Stormond / End "No-Go" area
 * Idea was to create moderate governance from critical distance
 * Also, "Irish Dimension" -> Southern Ireland being invited to be a part of governance
 * New Peace Process
 * Based on British idea of "silent moderate" inherent in British people
 * Which turned out not to be that true

Sunningdale Agreement

 * 1973 -> Peace Meeting
 * Alliance
 * SDLP
 * Unionists
 * & British + Irish governments meet in Sunningdale
 * Three issues prove central
 * 1) Republic Territorial Claim (right to rule all Ireland)
 * 2) Council of Ireland (broad)
 * 3) Security, extradition, Irish prisoners
 * Power-sharing achieved -> Anglo-Irish Unity


 * Unionists felt cheated
 * IRA also angry
 * Both upset/escalate battle


 * This fails b/c of polarization, lack of British enforcement, and failure to reach the political bases


 * Britain considered just "withdrawing" from the country
 * Too dangerous really, but it terrified Unionists


 * Truce negotiated
 * IRA cease fire 1975-1977


 * "Normalization" of Northern Ireland
 * Creates Moderate Centers
 * Paramilitaries made criminal/illegal
 * 2500 ppl convicted under criminalization of Paramilitarys (mostly IRA)


 * Increase of paramilitary activities demonstrates the fear of Civil War if British withdrew
 * British prove unable to really even intervene/figure out NI


 * Independence imagined as a solution

Prison/Hunger Strikes

 * 1981 -> Showdown between Thatcher and IRA
 * Issue was over "political" vs. "criminal" prisoner
 * IRA wanted "political status"
 * 10 IRA members starve themselves to death
 * 100,000 ppl at Funeral of Bobby Sands (who is also elected MP while starving to death)
 * Strike is successful

Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985

 * Thatcher -> English Unionist & "Iron Lady"
 * New collaboration agreement between Irish Republic & UK
 * Allowed Irish Republic role as a consultant to NI situation
 * Also set standard that any change in status of NI government would be throw both parties
 * British-Irish intergovernmental council -> Northern Nationalists could be represented
 * Thatcher apparently resented signing the agreement


 * Sinn Fein (re-defined) -> Political Wing of the IRA in NI
 * Big concern of the Meeting


 * 1986 -> Sinn


 * Gerry Adams & John Hume


 * Unionist saw peace process as a "surrender"
 * Very angry about all this.
 * Very upseting that the Sinn Fein was allowed to talk without laying down all its weapons
 * August 1994 Cease Fire -> IRA kept military power up thru the cease fire to demonstrate power
 * Even into 1996 -> low-level violence continues
 * 1998 talks with Tony Blair new Labor Government
 * Real IRA splinters off

Good Friday Agreement

 * Or Belfast Accords
 * 1998
 * "Sunningdale for Slow Learners"
 * Constructive ambiguity in "decommissioning of weapons"
 * IRA weapons sheathing postponed/delayed indef


 * 1) Northern Ireland Assembly Created (Alleivated Gerrymandering)
 * 2) Executive (First Minister/First Deputy) -> Reflects assmebly
 * 3) North/South Ministerial Council (Integrated Irish Committee for cooperation)
 * 4) British-Irish Council (Southern Irish + UK)


 * Reform of policing
 * Reconciliation
 * Prisoner treatment


 * Put up for Referendum
 * In Republic of Ireland -> 94% support
 * in Northern Ireland (81% turnout) -> 71% passed (99% of Catholics) (51% of Protestant)

Conclusions

 * 3000 - 4000 killed
 * 30000 injured
 * 72% of Catholics reported violence in their neighborhoods (46% of Protestants)
 * Lots of Cultural artifacts (Murals for example)