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| Currently, the governments of ] and the ] are working together closely and peacefully to seek a solution and have been doing so for some time. There is no simple solution to The Troubles and it can only be hoped that the current ] ceasefire holds and that relative peace is maintained in Northern Ireland for the sake of all its inhabitants. | Currently, the governments of ] and the ] are working together closely and peacefully to seek a solution and have been doing so for some time. There is no simple solution to The Troubles and it can only be hoped that the current ] ceasefire holds and that relative peace is maintained in Northern Ireland for the sake of all its inhabitants. | ||
| It is widely held by many in both Britian and Northern Ireland that The Troubles came to an end in the mid-nineties with the various ] cease-fires that were established. The period that came after The Troubles was the ], the ]. | It is widely held by many in both Britian and Northern Ireland that The Troubles came to an end in the mid-nineties with the various ] cease-fires that were established. The period that came after The Troubles was the ], the ]. | ||
| '''Research Material''' | '''Research Material''' | ||
Revision as of 15:51, 25 February 2002
The Troubles is a neutral term for the period of violence from the late sixties to the mid-nineties involving various factions in Northern Ireland. The neutrality of the term comes from an avoidance of any identification of a sole cause of the complex issues that are involved there, as this would inevitably be partisan. They are generally taken as beginning in the late 1960's and have claimed some 3,000 - 4,000 lives from all sides since then.
In general terms, the conflict was between Unionists (also known as "loyalists"), who want the province to remain in the United Kingdom, and Nationalists (also known as "republicans") who wish the province to become part of a united Ireland. Generally speaking (but not in all cases) Unionists are part of the Protestant majority of Northern Ireland, while Nationalist are usually Catholic. Catholics thought they were being treated unfairly and pressed for wide reforms, while Protestants were wary of sharing power with Catholics and often did not want to compromise.
Violence was carried out by various groups, including the Provisional Irish Republican Army (also known as the IRA or "The Provos"), the UVF, the UDA, the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary, the largely loyalist police force of Northern Ireland, since renamed "Police Force of Northern Ireland"), the British army. The terrorist groups also produced various splinter-groups and factions, complicating the image further.
Quick overview:
Nationalist political parties:
- Sinn Fein (President is Gerry Adams)
Unionist political parties:
Nationalist paramilitary/terrorist groups:
Unionist paramilitary/terrorist groups:
This needs work. The nature of such violence and the relations of the various groups and their motives and tactics needs to be charted in detail. Though violence in whatever form it takes is terrible, there is a differenve between defensive military activity and knowingly targeting inocent civilians e.g. the "Real" IRA's killings at Omagh, or Bloody Sunday.
The Bloody Sunday in 1972 was one of the key events during The Troubles. From 1971, under the Special Powers Act there was Internment (see Long Kesh).
Currently, the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom are working together closely and peacefully to seek a solution and have been doing so for some time. There is no simple solution to The Troubles and it can only be hoped that the current paramilitary ceasefire holds and that relative peace is maintained in Northern Ireland for the sake of all its inhabitants.
It is widely held by many in both Britian and Northern Ireland that The Troubles came to an end in the mid-nineties with the various paramilitary cease-fires that were established. The period that came after The Troubles was the Northern Ireland peace process, the Good Friday Agreement.
Research Material