Northern Ireland

Question 1

1964-1970 - Labour

What does the term “Troubles” refer to?

Answer 1

The violence dating from 1960s to the 1990s whose main feature consisted of terrorist conflict between the nationalists and unionists

Question 2

What began in 1964 in Northern Ireland?

Answer 2

The Civil Rights movement

Question 3

What did this lead to?

Answer 3

Increased tension as unionists feared a new violent campaign by the IRA (Irish Republican Army)

Question 4

What did the unionists do in response?

Answer 4

They set up their own paramilitary organisations to defend Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Question 5

What did the Northern Irish students found in 1967?

Answer 5

The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) - condemned the political corruption and called for fair distribution of resources across the entire population

Question 6

What occurred at the Civil Rights marches in October 1968?

Answer 6

Catholic nationalists protesting against discrimination were attacked by Protestant loyalists

Question 7

What did the Catholics complain about?

Answer 7

That the RUC had failed to protect them

Question 8

What was this event widely regarded as?

Answer 8

The start of the Troubles

Question 9

What occurred at the Battle of Bogside 1969?

Answer 9

Loyalist Apprentice Boys were attacked during their annual march in Bogside, a Catholic area

Question 10

What did the RUC try to do?

Answer 10

Try to storm the Bogside but were held back by 2 days of rioting

Question 11

What were the RUC seen on TV doing?

Answer 11

RUC officers were seen beating Catholics

Question 12

What did this lead to?

Answer 12

Mass rioting across the country

Question 13

What occurred for the first time in the Summer of 1969?

Answer 13

The first deaths occurred

Question 14

What did the Labour Party do in August 1969?

Answer 14

They sent out the British Army to Northern Ireland

Question 15

How were the army initially received?

Answer 15

They were welcomed by the Catholics

Question 16

What did this cause the IRA to do that had been dormant before?

Answer 16

Reorganise and decide to lead the struggle

Question 17

Who did the IRA target?

Answer 17

British troops as representatives of the Imperialist government which was the root cause of all problems

Question 18

1970-1074 - Conservatives

What started under Heath in the 1970s?

Answer 18

An explosion of violence despite Heath’s attempts to find a political solution to the fighting

Question 19

Who did Heath support in 1971?

Answer 19

Brian Faulkner, the Ulster Unionist Party leader of Belfast government and his policies

Question 20

What policies did Faulkner impose?

Answer 20

Arresting suspected troublemakers and holding them without trial, imposing night-time curfews and internment

Question 21

What did Heath believe these policies would achieve?

Answer 21

That by removing the violent men from the community this would reduce tension

Question 22

What were the vast consequences of imposing internment?

Answer 22

• 95% of those interned were Catholic between 1971-1975
• Claimed by IRA to be the best recruiting tool the IRA had ever had
• Increased tension
• Strained British government relations with Irish government
• Created split in Labour Party as many Labour MPs opposed it and called for the withdrawal of British troops

Question 23

What huge event occurred on the 30th January 1972?

Answer 23

Bloody Sunday - NICRA organised a prohibited Civil Rights march which ended with British soldiers firing live ammunition

Question 24

What was the death-toll of Bloody Sunday?

Answer 24

26 unarmed civilians were shot and 13 died

Question 25

What did this cause for the relationship between NI and Britain?

Answer 25

Extreme tension and controversy

Question 26

What happened to the British Embassy in Dublin after Bloody Sunday in 1972?

Answer 26

It was burnt down

Question 27

What year was the bloodiest of the Troubles?

Answer 27

1972 - 1382 explosions, 10628 shootings and 480 people killed

Question 28

What did Heath do to the Stormont parliament in March 1972?

Answer 28

He suspended it and brought in direct rule from Westminster

Question 29

What did Heath try and find? With whom?

Answer 29

A solution to the violence with all political parties

Question 30

What did the first inquiry into Bloody Sunday, the Widgery Report, of May 1972 say about the event?

Answer 30

That shots had been fired at the soldiers before the soldiers started firing shots which led to the casualties

Question 31

What did the Republicans (leave) see this an attempt to?

Answer 31

Whitewash what had happened and justify the British Army’s actions

Question 32

What did Heath negotiate in 1973?

Answer 32

The Sunningdale Agreement - support of SDLP, Alliance and UUP parties and Dublin government

Question 33

What were the main proposals of the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 33

• A power-sharing Executive of nationalists and unionists guaranteeing political representation for both sides
• A new NI assembly elected under proportional representation
• A Council of Ireland that would get some input from Republic of Ireland

Question 34

Why was this monumental for Catholics?

Answer 34

It was the first time since 1921 that Catholics had been offered a share in government in Northern Ireland

Question 35

What were the numerous consequences of the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 35

• Violence continued with frequent IRA attacks on police and army
• On both sides, extremists saw the agreement as a sell-out
• UUP voted to pull out of agreement in January 1974 and replaced leader with Harry West who opposed the agreement

Question 36

What was the result of the Feb 1974 general election concerning the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 36

11 of 12 NI constituencies elected an anti-Sunningdale MP