This essay analyzes the situation in Northern Ireland during the 1980s, focusing especially on the historical and political dimensions of the Northern Irish conflict. It sets out to show the 1980s in Northern Ireland as a decade of failed attempts to bring peace to the region, analyzing the reasons for the failures and sketching out the reactions of the political parties towards these attempts. Furthermore it represents an attempt to show the historical, social and political background of the Northern Ireland conflict, which arose out of the conflict between the two communities living in the region, a conflict which is not only a religious one, but rather the result of differences in social situation, ethnical and cultural identity and political expectations and wishes of the people of Ireland, all of which is the result of the Irish history which began many centuries ago.
With the analysis of the political situation during the 1980s, this essay also attempts to show the antagonism in Northern Ireland, which is not genuinely motivated by religion but rather results out of different political ambitions than out of different beliefs.
At a glance
- Grade: 2.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- 10 sources in the bibliography
Contents
1 Introduction
2 How the Troubles Began
2.1 The Northern Irish Conflict
2.2 The Troubles 1968-1980
2.3 Hunger Strike 1980/ 81
3 A Decade of Hardened Fronts
3.1 The Intern Approach: Constitutional Conference and Assembly
3.2. The Intergovernmental Approach
3.2.1 The New Ireland Forum
3.2.2 The Anglo-Irish Agreement
4 Towards the Peace Process
5 Conclusion
Purpose and Topics
This term paper analyzes Northern Ireland during the 1980s, focusing on the historical and political dimensions of the conflict, the reasons political initiatives failed, and the reactions of the parties involved. Its central question is how historical, social, and political differences shaped attempts to bring peace to the region.
- The historical roots of the Northern Irish conflict and the 1922 partition
- Discrimination, civil rights, and the Troubles from 1968 to 1980
- The 1980 and 1981 hunger strikes and Sinn Féin’s electoral strategy
- Devolution initiatives, including the Constitutional Conference and Assembly
- The New Ireland Forum and the Anglo-Irish Agreement
- Political polarization and the emergence of the peace process
Excerpt from the Book
The Northern Irish Conflict
The Northern Irish Conflict is not a conflict of the 20th century. Its origin lies in history and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when Ireland was occupied by Anglo-Norman troops. This was the beginning of foreign rule over the island which was to last for over 700 years. During the 16th and 17th century, British and Scottish settlers came to Ireland. Most of them settled down in the north-eastern part of the island, in the historical province of Ulster (therefore this settlement is also known as ‘Ulster Plantation’). The social and economic differences between the well-off British and Scottish plantation owners and the Irish peasants, who were constantly losing their economic independency, soon led to conflicts between the two groups. Over the next 200 years, there were several rebellions raised by the Irishmen against the British, whereas the English settlers and their descendants, although being in the minority, managed to stay in power. With the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, Britain re-conquered Ireland and made clear that it would not give up its supremacy. But it was not able to obtain the supremacy over the Irishmen’s beliefs. While Britain and the British settlers in Ireland attended the Anglican Church or were Presbyterians, the Irishmen remained Catholics – a fact which added to the tensions between the two groups.
In 1800, with the ‘Act of Union’, Ireland lost even the little political power it had and from now on was ruled directly by the Westminster Parliament. During the 19th century, both the Irish Nationalists as well as the Loyalists founded several institutions and associations which were to promote the objectives of the corresponding communities, a development which clearly shows the antagonism dividing the population. This antagonism is neither exclusively a political nor a religious one but also has ethnical, social and economic dimensions (see also Breuer 1994:75ff.). The British government tried to alleviate the contrast between the Protestant and Catholic population, but, according to Breuer (1994:10), these attempts taken in the 19th century were “entweder halbherzig oder scheiterten am Parlament” or, if they were successful, lacked a strategy amounting to a real integration of the two groups and therefore did not show any positive long-term effect.
Chapter Summaries
Introduction: The paper introduces Northern Ireland’s conflict and sets out to analyze the political attempts to resolve it during the 1980s. It emphasizes that the conflict arose from intertwined historical, social, cultural, and political differences, not religion alone.
How the Troubles Began: This chapter traces the conflict’s historical roots, from foreign rule and partition to discrimination, civil rights protests, and escalating violence. It also describes the 1980–81 hunger strikes and their influence on Sinn Féin’s move toward electoral politics.
A Decade of Hardened Fronts: The chapter examines attempts to negotiate a settlement through devolved institutions and intergovernmental initiatives. It covers the Constitutional Conference and Assembly, the New Ireland Forum, and the Anglo-Irish Agreement, alongside the parties’ responses.
Towards the Peace Process: This chapter outlines the gradual shift toward dialogue, including contacts between Sinn Féin and the SDLP, the Brooke Talks, the Downing Street Declaration, and developments leading to ceasefires and the Belfast Agreement.
Conclusion: The paper concludes that historical antagonisms, political non-cooperation, violence, and popular support for radical parties contributed to failed negotiations and hardened divisions.
Keywords
Northern Ireland, Troubles, Anglo-Irish Agreement, New Ireland Forum, hunger strike, Sinn Féin, IRA, SDLP, Unionists, Nationalists, devolution, power-sharing, political conflict, peace process
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this term paper about?
It analyzes Northern Ireland’s political situation during the 1980s and the repeated attempts to resolve the conflict.
What are the main themes?
The paper addresses the conflict’s historical roots, community divisions, political initiatives, hunger strikes, and the development of the peace process.
What is the paper’s primary objective?
It seeks to explain why political attempts to bring peace to Northern Ireland during the 1980s failed and how the parties reacted to them.
What research method does the author use?
The paper uses historical and political analysis, drawing on published secondary sources and examining political developments and party responses.
What does the main part examine?
It covers the conflict’s background, the hunger strikes, devolution efforts, the New Ireland Forum, and the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Which keywords characterize the paper?
Northern Ireland, the Troubles, Sinn Féin, the IRA, the hunger strike, devolution, the Anglo-Irish Agreement, and the peace process are central terms.
How did the hunger strikes affect Sinn Féin?
The paper explains that election successes during the hunger strikes encouraged Sinn Féin to pursue political participation alongside its continued armed resistance.
What proposals did the New Ireland Forum make?
Its 1984 report proposed unification with the Irish Republic, a federal Ireland, or joint sovereignty over Northern Ireland.
What was the Unionist response to the Anglo-Irish Agreement?
Unionists rejected it and organized protests, including a large march under the slogan “Ulster says No!”.
How does the paper link the 1980s initiatives to later peace efforts?
It presents British-Irish cooperation under the Agreement as an important basis for the later Belfast Agreement, despite the absence of quick results in the 1980s.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Annerose Baumann (Autor:in), 2008, Northern Ireland in the 1980s, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/165571
