Ireland.

Question 1

Where was the Northern Irish parliament situated

Answer 1

Stormont

Question 2

How were tensions looking in Ireland at the time of Heath’s ascendency

Answer 2

Very high; there was an explosion of sectarian violence in the early 70s

Question 3

Who did Heath intially back to solve the Ireland situation

Answer 3

Brian Faulkner, head of the Ulster Unionist Party

Question 4

Name two paramilitary organisations operating in Nothern Ireland in the 70s

Answer 4

IRA, INLA, UDA, UVF

Question 5

What were Faulkners policies and why were they unpopular

Answer 5

As the head of the Belfast Govt, Faulkner imposed night time curfews and internment(custody without trial). These proved to be ineffective and discriminatory, with 95% of those interned in early 70s being Catholic. IRA commander called it the “best recruiting tool we ever had”

Question 6

Name some events of violence in Ireland in the 70s

Answer 6

McGurks bar-15 dead to uvf bomb
Bloody Sunday-13 dead to British Army
Aldershot barracks-7 dead
Irish Parliament-2 killed by loyalist bomb

Question 7

What retaliatory action was taken after bloody Sunday

Answer 7

The British embassy in Dublin was burned down

Question 8

what events happened in 1972 to make it the bloodiest year of the troubles

Answer 8

1,382 explosions, 10,628 shooting incidents and 480 deaths.
Heath suspended Stormont control and bought in direct rule from parliament, appointing Willie Whitelaw as sec of state.

Question 9

What was Heaths aim in regards to Ireland and the IRA

Answer 9

Not only try to defeat the IRA as the loyalists and unionists wanted, but the find permanent peace in a solution for ireland. This lead to negotiations with the main N.I. political parties

Question 10

What was Heaths most important contribution to the N.I. peace process

Answer 10

The Sunningdale Agreement in 1973, a complex plan for powersharing with support from the SDLP(republican moderates), the alliance(moderate unionists leaning neutral) and the UUP(major unionists).

Question 11

What did the Sunningdale Agreement propose

Answer 11

Power sharing for nationalists and unionists
New N.I. assembly elected by proportional representation
Council of Ireland with some influence from Republic of Ireland

Question 12

Why was the Sunningdale Agreement unsuccesful in some regards

Answer 12

Extremists on both sides were not onboard, denouncing it as a sell out. The UVF and UDA were both opposed, and the UUP pulled out in ‘74 as Faulkner was replaced as head of UUP by Harry West who was opposed.
It was undermined by the events on the British mainland, including the miners strikes and Heaths fall from power.
Finally, in the 74 GE, parties opposed to Sunningdale put up a single candidate in each constituency, whilst the pro vote was split. 11/12 of constituencies returned candiates opposed to the Agreement.

Question 13

What lead to Conservatives not being able to continue in power in ‘74

Answer 13

Concern over the Sunningdale Agreement leading to the Tories not being able to rely on the UUP, preventing their reelection.

Question 14

What was set up by the Shipyard worker Harry Murray, what was its goal and how did it go about achieving this

Answer 14

The Ulster Workers Council, determined to bring down the executive, announced a strike beginning in May 1974

Question 15

What did the 1974 Strike achieve

Answer 15

Broadly, the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement and resignment of Faulkner as a state of emergency was declared.

Question 16

What did Wilson establish to determine N.I.’s future

Answer 16

The Northern Irish Consitution Convention

Question 17

Who was killed in 1979 by an IRA car bomb

Answer 17

Airey Neave, Tory spokesman on N.I.

Question 18

What did the 1975 elections result in in Ireland and why was this an issue for the peace process

Answer 18

A Unionist majority who were unwilling to compromise.

Question 19

When was the N.I. Consitution Convention dissolved

Answer 19

1976

Question 20

What was removed from terrorist prisoners in ‘76, prompting the Blanket Protest and later the Dirty Protest in ‘78.

Answer 20

Special Category Status, essentially meaning they would simply be treated as criminals rather than enemies in a war.

Question 21

What did the Blanket and Dirty Protests entail

Answer 21

Prisoners refused to wear clothes, going naked or simply with blankets. Later, alleging ill treatment by guards, they refused to leave their cells, leaving them unable to slop out and so smearing excrement along their cell walls.

Question 22

Approximately how many were involved in the Dirty Protest by ‘79

Answer 22

250

Question 23

Who lead the 1980 Hunger Strikes and what were they subsequently elected for

Answer 23

Bobby Sands who in ‘81 became MP for West Tyrone

Question 24

What consequences did the Hunger Strikes bring

Answer 24

Despite not being granted special category status, the ultimate goal of the protest, there was huge public outrage, with 100,000 marching at Bobby Sands funeral, to protests in Paris and Milan to widespread support in NA, the hunger strikes were extremely influential.

Question 25

What technique did Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams posit as the way to win Irish independance

Answer 25

The twin tracks of the ballot box and the gun

Question 26

What took place in OCT 1984 at the Grand Hotel in Brighton and what was bad about it

Answer 26

An IRA bomb went off during the Conservative Party consequence killing 5. What was bad is that it didnt get Thatcher, the main target

Question 27

How many died in total in the Hunger Strikes before it was called off in OCT ‘81

Answer 27

10, Including Sands

Question 28

What was signed in 1985 at Hillsborough

Answer 28

The Anglo Irish agreement, setting up permanent intergovernmental cooperation between the R.O.I govt and the UK govt.

Question 29

Why was the Anglo Irish agreement helpful for Thatcher

Answer 29

She hoped it would help security, as well as strengthen moderate republicans against the extremists, and was suppported by the SDLP and the Alliance.

Question 30

Why was the Anglo Irish agreement criticised

Answer 30

By Republicans as it denoted N.I. as part of the UK
By unionists as it allowed the Republic of Ireland influence in N.I. affairs, something they saw as a breach of soverignty. 200,000 attended a protest rally led by Ian Paisley, head of the DUP.

Question 31

What new Unionist Paramilitary force was set up in ‘86 as resistance to the Anglo-Irish agreement

Answer 31

The Ulster Resistance

Question 32

Name some events of violence related to Ireland during Thatchers reign

Answer 32

Hyde Park Bombing ‘82-11 killed by IRA
Droppin Well bomb ‘82- 17 killed by INLA
Harrods bombing ‘83- 6 killed by IRA
Brighton Grand hotel ‘84-5 killed by IRA
8 IRA volunteers and 1 civilian killed by SAS ‘87
Remembrance day bomb ‘87-12 killed by IRA

Question 33

What accusations did the UK face over its handling of 3 IRA members in 1988 in Gibralter

Answer 33

Having a shoot to kill policy

Question 34

Who were the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four

Answer 34

two groups of people both wrongly convicted for bombings in 1975; subsequently pardoned in 89 and 91.

Question 35

What luridly evil enterprise was bombed by the IRA in 1989 in order to prevent a second biblical flood

Answer 35

The London Stock Exchange

Question 36

Did Thatchers harsh stance on Ireland ever waver throughout her Premiership

Answer 36

Nope :)

Question 37

From 1993, what did John Majors goverment start recieving from Sinn Fein

Answer 37

Overtures of Peace; a sense they wanted the violence to come to an end

Question 38

Why was Major in an advantageous position to pursue peace in Ireland

Answer 38

Although harder to gain republicans trust, he could avoid backlash from the conservative/unionist movement, as well as be trusted to not ‘sell out’ the protestants in Ireland. Furthermore, he had a good relationship with the Irish Taosieach, and even Bill Clinton the goat encouraged peace

Question 39

What events marked the end of the Troubles 1993-97

Answer 39

1993 joint downing street declaration from Major and Reynolds, Taoseach.
1994 IRA announces ceasefire
1997- Eamon Collins writes that both sides looked down into a bosnia style abyss and gulped

Question 40

What setbacks were there to Majors peace process

Answer 40

The IRA grew impatient and resumed violent methods, bombing canary wharf and manchester in 1996. Unionists became distrustful but peace talks continued

Question 41

Who convinced Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness that the peace process was viable, subsequently becoming a joint winner of the Noble peace prize due to his role in the talk

Answer 41

John Hume

Question 42

When was the Good Friday Agreement finalized

Answer 42

April 1998

Question 43

Why did one of the UUP negotiators nearly pull out at the last minute

Answer 43

Issues over whether the IRA would decommision their arms

Question 44

What were the key elements of the good friday agreement

Answer 44

bot the UK and ROI would give op their claim to NI, it would be governed by its people
a devolved assembly with a power sharing assembly would be set up
links between all parties would be strengthened
decommisioning of arms
reforms of policiing
early release of paramilitary prisoners whose orgs were commited to peace

Question 45

how many voted for the GFA

Answer 45

71% in NI and 94% in ROI

Question 46

What issues remained after the GFA

Answer 46

Republicans were afraid of being accused of selling out
The Omagh bombings killed 30 people, carried out by the continuity IRA
over subsequent years unionists became disillusioned and Ian Paisleys DUP became the biggest unionist part
finally, there were disagreements over decomisionning of arms, release of convicted terrorists, right of the protestant orange order to marchits traditional routes.
devolved institutions suspended in 2002.