History - Collective Revision NI 1965-98 Flashcards
Who was the leader of the UVF in 1966?
Gusty Spence
Who was the supposed first victim of the troubles? When was he killed?
Peter Ward
1966
A west Belfast barman
Killed by the UVF
With teenager John Scullion
What were the three aims of Terence O’Neill?
- Economic development
- Conciliation within NI
- Improving relations with the Republic
How much money did O’Neill’s government pledge to invest in development of the economy?
£900m
How did O’Neill’s government try to attract foreign buisnesses?
They implemented grants and tax breaks for the building of factories
subsequently, the jobs they would create would repay the economy
Give examples of businesses who came to NI under O’Neills government
Grundig, Dupont, Michellin, Goodyear etc.
What government ministry was established under Terence O’Neill? What year was it established?
The Ministry of Development - 1965
For the creation of infrastructure, housing, factories etc.
What was established under O’Neills government which was headed by Brian Faulkner? What was it’s purpose?
The Economic Council
To head economic strategy in NI
In which 4 areas did O’Neill promise reforms?
Housing, job allocation, elections and education
Which university was established under O’Neill’s government?
The University of Coleraine
Which new town/city was established by O’Neill’s government?
Craigavon
(after James Craig)
Give examples of improved transportation infrastructure under Terence O’Neill.
- the M1 Motorway
- improvements and upgrading of the rail network
- a new International Airport at RAF Aldergrove
Etc.
What did O’Neill’s government build in Belfast harbour?
An Oil Refinery
In what way did O’Neill’s government divide NI? Why?
NI was divided into 5 Economic Development Zones
to promote economic investment
What key event opened 1969
People’s Democracy March Jan 1st-4th
Belfast to Derry
Burntollet bridge ambush halted its progress
What was unionist opinion on O’Neill like from within his own party at the beginning of 1969?
Unionists within and outside his party became frustrated at his reformist attitudes to Nationalists
Tensions were growing (early 1969)
How did O’Neill respond to unionist opposition in February 1969? Explain the outcome.
He called an election to try and gain support - known as the crossroads election
He humiliatingly came close to losing in his own constituency (Bannside) to avid critic Ian Paisley
This only grew tensions politically
How did the loyalist paramilitaries oppose O’Neill in 1969?
UVF bombing campaign (march/april 1969)
Further increasing tensions
On what date did O’Neill resign as PM?
28th April 1969
What two events took place in Derry on August 12th 1969?
- Apprentice boys annual parade (legal)
- NICRA march in response to lack of implementation of 5 point plan (illegal)
Who was O’Neill’s successor as PM?
James Chichester-Clark
Why was the August 12th NICRA march declared illegal? How did nationalists see it?
The risk of violence between NICRA members and Apprentice Boys members
Nationalists viewed this as the state favouring Unionists and Protestant organisations etc. or as them blocking freedom of speech for protestors
How did the police respond to the August 12th NICRA march? How did NICRA members and nationalist members of Derry respond?
They used force
This spawned violence for the next three days in what became known as…
The battle of the Bogside - aug 12th-15th
What was happening in Belfast at the same time as the Battle of the Bogside in Derry?
Sectarian disturbance
The worst of which was the burning of nationalist homes in Bombay Street
How many Catholic families were forced to move houses around the time of the Battle of the Bogside and sectarian disturbances in August 1969
3500
This was the largest forced movement of people in Western Europe since WWII
How many casualties were reported after the Battle of the Bogside?
7 died and 100 were injured
What impact did violence in August 1969 have on policing?
The B-specials and RUC were stretched thin and had lost control
How did the Irish government respond to the ’battle of the Bogside’ and violence in 1969
- Dublin sent a security intelligence officer to NI
- Taoiseach Jack lynch said on Aug 13th (‘69) that ROI could no longer watch and do nothing
- they began deploying troops on the border (field hospitals)
- they accepted refugees from cities and towns like Derry, Belfast, Newry etc where they were forced from their homes
What was the unionist opinion on the Irish government response to violence in 1969?
(Extreme unionists particularly)
They felt that, particularly the deployment of field hospitals, was a clear provocation as troops were stationed on the border (felt like a pretence to an invasion)
What was the code name given to the implementation of internment?
Operation Demetrius
Which street in the Catholic clonard area was almost completely burned to the ground during August 1969?
Bombay Street
On what date were British troops deployed onto the streets of Northern Ireland?
August 15th 1969
What was the immediate reaction of Nationalists when British troops were deployed in NI?
They were pleased as they felt they would now be protected from the RUC, B-Specials and Loyalist mobs by the neutral military
What was the name of the report that assessed bias in policing after the 1969 violence?
The Hunt Report
What did the Downing Street Declaration of 1969 promise?
Nationalists were equal to British citizens
and
Unionists shouldn’t fear the break up of the UK
What was set up to investigate the causes of the violence in 1969?
The Scarman Tribunal
Why did the PIRA break away from the IRA in late 1969? (6)
They differed on views on how to pursue their policies:
- they wanted to use force to cause a British withdrawal (e.g. creating an unstable economic climate by attacking buisnesses)
- they wanted to end stormont governance which they viewed as unionist one-party rule
- to achieve a united ireland (both agreed on this)
- to establish a 32 county socialist republic (both agreed on this)
- to resist British imperialism (e.g. attacking army members and policemen)
- to protect catholics/nationalists, who had been subject to violence in august 1969
What was the death tolls in NI from 1969 to 1972? What did this signal?
1969 - 13
1970 - 25
1971 - 174
1972 - 496
A significant escalation
In what year was the UDA formed?
1971
What name did the UDA often use to claim sectarian murders?
UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighters)
What was different about UVF policy and UDA policy (upon their formation)?
UDA were open to targeting catholic civilians deliberately (even though they claimed not to)
The UVF, although they did kill civilians, targeted members of the IRA almost exclusively
What community made up the UDA membership as opposed to the UVF?
What was the membership of the UDA at its peak?
Were they illegal?
Who reformed the UDA? When?
Working class loyalists were the pro dominant core of the UDA
40000
They were legal, although they engaged in illegal activity constantly and nearly collapsed as a result
1973 - UDA reformed by Andy Tyrie
Name 3 aims of the UDA
- To protect loyalist communities
- to stop a united ireland
- to block concessions to catholics
What was the mottos of the UVF, UPV and UDA?
Why did this cause controversy for Ian Paisley?
UVF and UPV: For God and Ulster
UDA: Law before violence
Paisley’s UPV shared the same motto as the UVF, making some believe he was part of the UVF, who were much more violent
In what month was the Falls Road Curfew?
What was it?
July 1970
A 34 hour curfew on the lower falls, trying to find IRA guns (army conducting arms searches over that period)
On which date did James Chichester-Clark resign as PM? Who replaced him?
20th march 1971
Brian Faulkner
What was internment?
What law made it legal?
Arrest and detention without trial of all those suspected of conspiring to destroy the state
The 1922 Special Powers/Civil Authorities Act
On which date was Operation Demetrius launched?
9th August 1971
How did the SDLP respond to internment?
- They withdrew from stormont
- they began a rent and rates strike
How did NICRA respond to Internment?
They resumed marches
On 22/1/72 and 30/1/72
On what date was Bloody Sunday?
30/1/72
On what date was the McGurk’s Bar bombing? Who was behind it?
How many died/were injured?
4/12/1971
The UVF
15 dead
17 injured
How many died on Bloody Sunday?
13 and 1 later
Name the inquiry into Bloody Sunday
The Widgery Inquiry
Name some ways nationalists responded to Bloody Sunday
- IRA membership grew
- British embassy in Dublin burnt down
- international outcry at murder of innocent civilians
What organisation did William Craig set up in February 1972?
Ulster Vanguard
What is meant by Direct Rule?
Removal of Stormont Govt with decisions for NI being made in Westminster
What day did the Stormont govt resign after Ted Heath removed security powers?
22/3/1972
What date was there a demonstration at Stormont to see out the final hours of the Unionist Govt?
How many attended?
28/3/1972
100000
When was Bloody Friday?
21/7/1972
How many bombs did the IRA let off on Bloody Friday?
24 bombs
20 of which detonated
What was the code name given to the reclamation of paramilitary ‘no go’ areas?
Operation Motorman
When was operation motorman?
31st of July 1972
When were plans for a new Power Sharing Assembly announced?
March 1973
Who led the UUP in the power sharing talks? (1973)
Brian Faulkner
Which extreme unionist party formed to oppose the Power Sharing talks?
Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party
How many seats did Faulkner’s pro-power sharing unionists win in the June 1973 Power Sharing Assembly elections?
24 seats
How many seats did the UUUC (who opposed power sharing) win in the June 1973 power-sharing Assembly elections?
26 seats
What was the UUUC?
United Ulster Unionist Council
A coalition between members of the UUP, DUP and Ulster Vanguard
Formed to oppose the Sunningdale agreement
What did loyalist paramilitaries announce in reaction to Power Sharing and Sunningdale on 10th December 1973?
Formation of Ulster Army Council
How did the IRA react violently to Power Sharing and Sunningdale in the week before Christmas 1973?
Set off series of bombs in London
How many seats did the UUUC win in the Westminster elections of February 1974?
11 out of 12
While Faulkner was ousted as leader of the OUP after Feb 1974, what role did he maintain
Leader of the Stormont Executive
Which party won the Feb 1974 elections to Westminster and who was their leader?
Labour under Harold Wilson
What was the UWC?
A Protestant/loyalist trade union who unanimously opposed Power-sharing and Sunningdale
What did the Stormont Assembly vote for on May 14th 1974?
Continue with Sunningdale
Who led the UWC?
Harry Murray
When did the UWC strike begin?
15th May 1974
How did loyalist paramilitaries (mainly the UDA) ensure the strike was successful?
The ordered, often threatened workers not to go to work
How and when did Harold Wilson fuel Unionist anger during the UWC strike?
He openly said unionists and strikers were “sponging off of Westminster democracy” on May 27th 1974
How did the UWC strike end?
Faulkner resigned as leader of the executive and all members left
What day did the UWC strike end?
29th May 1974
Which two cities did the IRA bomb in October and November 1974?
Guildford and Birmingham respectively
The British govt adopted a policy of Ulsternisation during the mid 70s, what was it?
Reduce Army presence but increase size of RUC and UDR
What did the removal of ‘Special Category Status’ mean for NI paramilitary prisoners?
Treated like ordinary criminals:
- prison uniform
- prison work
- not allowed to associate with other prisoners
- not allowed education
- not given remission (50%)
What was the Maze prison and where was it situated?
A prison where paramilitary convicts where sent
Also referred to as the ‘H’ blocks
Situated near Long Kesh internment facilities near Lisburn
Who became UK PM in April 1979?
Margaret Thatcher
Which member of the Royal Family was killed by the IRA? Where and when?
Earl Mountbatten
In a fishing boat near his estate in Mullaghmore
27/8/79
When did special category status end?
1st of March 1976
What was the first protest against the removal of Special Category Status in 1976 called? Who started it and when?
The blanket protest
(14th of September 1976 - led by Kieran Nugent)
When did the ‘dirty/no wash protest’ begin
March 1978
When did the first hunger strike begin?
27th October 1980
When was the first Hunger Strike called off? Why?
18th of December 1980
Strikers mistakenly thought they had been granted remissions from the British Government
Where was Bobby Sands from?
Rathcoole
What rank was Bobby Sands during the 2nd Hunger Strike?
Officer Commanding of the Maze
How did the strategy of the 2nd Hunger Strike differ from the 1st? Why?
Each striker would start on different days (staggered start)
This would build media and political pressure
Where was Bobby Sands elected MP for? Why was this election triggered?
Fermanagh/south Tyrone
The MP (Frank Maguire) died in that district (of a heart attack)
On what date did Bobby Sands die and how long had he been on hunger strike?
4th of May 1981
He lasted 66 days
How many died in the second hunger strike?
How many died outside of prison at the same time?
10
61 - armed struggle/terrorism continued
The British govt made some concessions at the end of the Hunger Strikes, what were they?
Prisoners were granted:
- their own clothes
- 50% remission on sentences
- more prison visits
- greater association rights with fellow inmates
What was the name of the approach adopted by Sinn Féin after the Hunger Strikes?
Twin track/dual strategy of:
Ballot box and armalite
Who was elected MP for West Belfast in 1983?
Gerry Adams
Which political party lost votes to Sinn Féin after the Hunger strikes?
SDLP
In which year did the New Ireland Forum take place?
1983
Who was the Taoiseach of Ireland in 1983?
Garret Fitzgerald
What was the main reason for Hume to push for the New Ireland Forum?
The SDLP feared the rise of Sinn Féin
Did the Irish government support Sinn Féin?
No
The feared that Sinn Féin could gain ground electorally in Ireland and they (Finé Gael) would lose votes
This was seen via Kieran Doherty’s election in Monaghan
Who did not attend the New Ireland forum?
The British government and unionist parties in NI
Sinn Féin wasn’t invited
Who made up the New Ireland forum?
SDLP, Irish businessmen, Irish intellectuals, Irish govt
Which British seaside town did the IRA attack the Conservative Party conference? When?
Brighton
12th October 1984
When was the Anglo Irish agreement signed?
15th November 1985
Where was the Anglo Irish Agreement signed?
Hillsborough castle
Who were the main signatories of the Anglo Irish Agreement?
Thatcher and Fitzgerald
What were the 6 policies of the Anglo Irish Agreement?
- brits recognised irish govt right to make proposals to NI
- RoI recognised United Ireland was long term aim - Consent
- both agreed that everyone could live in peace
- an inter-governmental conference would meet regularly
- it would be reviewed after 3 years or less
- the British government hoped to gain greater co-operation on security, IRA activity and extradition
Why were Unionists most annoyed with the Anglo Irish Agreement?
It gave RoI a say in the running of NI
What did the Anglo Irish Agreement NOT create (and why)?
Any governmental organisations or power sharing
They were not given support from NI parties so implementing them would be impossible and they would be undermined
What did Unionists call the Anglo Irish Agreement?
The Dublin Diktat
How many people attended a huge rally at Belfast City Hall against the Anglo Irish Agreement?
Approx 100000, although some claim it was nearly double that
How many Unionist MPs resigned from Westminster in protest at the Anglo Irish Agreement?
15
What was the Unionist campaign against the Anglo Irish Agreement called?
The Ulster Says No campaign
What happened to the Unionist MPs who resigned their Westminster seats in Dec 1985 in the follow up by elections?
All but one was re elected. SDLP got the other seat.
What happened to Sinn Féin’s vote in the January 1986 elections?
They fell from 42% to 35%
Lost votes to SDLP
When was the Unionist day of action against the Anglo Irish Agreement?
3rd of March 1986
Which 2 Nationalist leaders held secret talks in the late 1980s?
John Hume and Gerry Adams
(Hume Adams initiative)
When did the Hume Adams initiative begin? When did it end?
January 1988
August 1988
When was the 2nd Downing Street Declaration announced?
15th Dec 1993
What were the key principles of the Downing Street Declaration of 1993? (9)
- UK had no strategic or economic interest in NI
- Irish govt agrees there can be no coercion of unionists north and south had sole right to determine future (principle of consent)
- no violence
- this would be done by dialogue between representatives of Nationalists and Unionists
- mention is made of the European dimension
- efforts were to be made to build trust and confidence between Irish govt and Unionists
- recognition that some parts of Bunreacht na hÉireann may be negatively viewed by Unionists - possibility of amendments to articles 2 & 3
- commitment to peaceful, political resolution
- provision for Forum for peace & reconciliation
When was the first PIRA ceasefire announced?
31st August 1994
When was the first loyalist ceasefire announced?
13th October 1994
What does CLMC stand for?
Combined Loyalist military command
When was the GFA signed?
10th April 1998
List 5 terms of the GFA.
- New Assembly - power sharing
- RoI remove articles 2 and 3 of Bunreacht na hÉireann (they claim to own all of Ireland)
- North South Council
- Review of policing
- Early release of prisoners
What percentage voted YES to the GFA in NI?
71%
What percentage voted YES to the GFA in RoI?
94%
Who was the US President involved in the GFA?
Bill Clinton
Who was the UUP leader involved in the GFA?
David Trimble
Who was the Sinn Féin leader involved in the GFA?
Gerry Adams
Who was the SDLP leader involved in the GFA?
John Hume
Who was the DUP leader involved in the GFA?
Ian Paisley
Who was the US Senator involved in the GFA negotiations?
George Mitchell
Out of all Unionists elected to the Power-Sharing executive in June 1973, what fraction where anti power sharing vs those for it?
26/50 opposed it
Over half
How many seats in total were in the power sharing assembly in June 1973?
78
Were republicans represented in talks for Sunningdale?
No
Who led the SDLP at the time of Sunningdale?
Gerry Fitt
How many seats were in the power sharing executive at the time of Sunningdale?
How many were held by unionists and why was this an issue?
11
6 were held by unionists which gave them a veto
When was the Power Sharing Executive scheduled to begin?
January 1st 1974
When was Sunningdale agreed?
December 9th 1973
What two parts were in the ‘council of Ireland’ (Irish dimension of Sunningdale)
- Consultative Assembly (Leg)
- Council of Ministers (Exec)
What were this issues of Sunningdale’s implementation among pro-power sharing politicians? (4)
- many found it difficult to work together
- different parties emphasised different parts of the agreement
- British govt had security control, but power-sharing executive got the blame
- Irish govt did not recognise NI and did not implement extradition
What does L.A.W. stand for?
Loyalist Association of Workers
Why did Republicans not agree with Sunningdale?
It fell short of British withdrawal and Irish unity
In what month was the general election of 1974?
March
When was the Monaghan/Dublin bombings. Who was behind it and how many were killed?
May 17th 1974
34 killed
UVF
How many deaths had there been in 1971 before internment (approx)?
Fewer than 30
Where did Kieran Doherty get elected to the Daíl in Ireland?
Monaghan
How did nationalists respond the hunger strikes? (9)
- greater sympathy for republican cause
- rioting e.g. in Derry
- endorsed Bobby Sands - Anti-H-Block independent umbrella
- SDLP didn’t stand against Sands
- 30000 voted for sands
- Sands dies, vote for election agent Owen Carron in Fermanagh/south Tyrone constituency
- 100000 attended Sands’s funeral for example
- Kieran Doherty T.D.
- PIRA membership grows
- protest marches - Anti-H-Block
Under what policy was Special Category Status removed under Wilson’s Labour govt?
Criminalisation
How many people were arrested within the first 6 months of internment?
How many without charge?
2357
1600 without charge
When was Stormont prorogued (in 1972). Give the month and day.
March 24th
Why did the British govt introduce home rule? (9)
- deteriorating security situation
- emergence of paramilitary organisations
- violence increases
- falls road curfew July 1970 and arms searches
- internment Aug 8/9 1971
- breakdown of relations british govt and Stormont
- prorogued 24th March 1972
When was the Ballymurphy massacre and how many were killed? What did the army claim?
August 9th to 11th 1971
11 killed - innocent - army claimed ‘they shot first’
