Ireland

Question 1

Mainly Catholic groups in Ireland

Answer 1

Nationalist- supporter of a united Ireland

Republican- doesn’t recognise the legitimacy of British institutions

Question 2

Mainly Protestant groups in Ireland

Answer 2

Unionist- supportive of union between N.Ireland and Britain

Loyalist- loyal to British institutions

Question 3

How was N.Ireland made up?

Answer 3

Ulster is a protestant area in N.east of of Ireland so protestantism was a minority in Catholic majority
1921, Northern Ireland established and meant that Ulster was the only part of the British Crown

Question 4

Westminster and N.Ireland

Answer 4

Up until late ’50s, late ’60s hardly had any involvement with N.I, had its own govt. dominated by Protestant Unionists meaning that minority of Catholics in N.I weren’t represented
Generally Westminster left them alone

Question 5

Protestant Unionists response to separation

Answer 5

Protestant loyalists were resistant to being integrated into Eire (S.I) and were hostile towards Catholic minority in Ulster

Question 6

What was society like in N.Ireland?

Answer 6

Form of apartheid between Catholics and Protestants
Huge distrust and misunderstanding
Little sympathy for Catholics as many were bitter about Eire’s role in supporting Hitler in the war

Question 7

What did the Unionists do to maximise representation?

Answer 7

Accused of gerrymandering which was adjusting the constituency borders in their favour to help them in elections

Question 8

Catholic Civil Rights movement

Answer 8

1968, started in Derry, inspired by American Civil Right Movement, were protesting against their unfair treatment (housing, gerrymandering, underrepresentation etc.)
Led to a protestant backlash, protests declared illegal and led to RUC charging protesters to break up marches

Question 9

What did the Civil Rights Movement lead to?

Answer 9

Seen as the start of the troubles
Formation of the predominantly Catholic Nationalist party the SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party)
And Bernadette Devlin of the radical Catholic Ulster Unionist Party was elected as the youngest ever female MP

Question 10

What was the position of the IRA in the early stages of Ireland?

Answer 10

IRA had barely played a part

Question 11

What was Wilson’s early response

Answer 11

Wilson applied pressure on O’Neill (Protestant PM) to push through local housing and govt. reforms faster
He responded saying in order to do this he would need the validation of another electoral victory
This election split the Unionists and O’Neill stood down and was replaced by Chichester-Clarke

Question 12

What happened with the Battle of the Bogside?

Answer 12

1969, Was same day as the annual anti-Catholic Apprentice Boys of Derry march, Civil right ppl warned not to march but did it anyway and were attacked by the police
B-specials (an unpaid branch of the police) were brutal to the activists and this was televised for many to see

Question 13

What was the result of the Battle of the Bogside?

Answer 13

Put pressure of protestant govt. in Stormont to make changes to local elections, housing and parliamentary boundaries
This provoked Loyalist backlash which led to further civil rights marches and the cycle continued

Question 14

What was Wilson’s response to the continued violence in Northern Ireland in 1969?

Answer 14

Felt he had to take action so sent units of the British Army in to protect that Catholics, in place of the B-Specials
Known as ‘Free Derry’
Army was initially welcomed but there were several attacks on the troops by Catholics

Question 15

When was Bloody Sunday?

Answer 15

30th January 1972

Question 16

What was the Burning of Bombay Street?

Answer 16

Belfast, ‘69
Catholic homes burned down by protestants in a form of ethnic cleansing
As residents fled to different sides, a wall was built between the two communities that still exists today

Question 17

What was the Falls Curfew?

Answer 17

Imposed in ‘70 on Catholic/Nationalist area of Belfast after clashes between youths and the Army
Ppl told to stay in their houses indefinitely whilst they were searched for weapons and ammunition
Declared that anyone who left their house would be arrested, 3000 soldiers moved in and sealed off area with barbed wire and used CS gas on residents

Question 18

How did the army have such control over the Falls Curfew?

Answer 18

All journalists had to leave ore be arrested so it didn’t make the news and meant the Army could do what they like, often looting houses and humiliating residents

Question 19

What did the Army capture in the Falls Curfew raids and what were the death tolls?

Answer 19

100 firearms, 100 home-made grenades, 21,000 rounds of ammunition, mostly belonging to the official IRA
4 deaths in total, 78 wounded and 337 arrested

Question 20

What were some of that attitudes towards the IRA?

Answer 20

Many saw them as not protecting them enough and slogans came about saying “IRA I ran away”

Question 21

When and why did Chichester-Clarke resign?

Answer 21

1971 because British govt. refused to send more troops over so was replaced by Faulkner who introduced internment without trial

Question 22

What was internment without trial?

Answer 22

Meant that a large no. of Catholics and Nationalists were rounded up by the RUC and sent to prison camp Long Kesh in which thousands were detained, 95% being Catholic or Nationalist

Question 23

What did long Kesh do for the IRA?

Answer 23

Massively increased the memebership, said to be ‘the best recruiting tool the IRA ever had’ Mcveigh

Question 24

Which groups were formed to counter the IRA?

Answer 24

Ulster Defence Association

Ulster Volunteer Force

Question 25

What were the events of Bloody Sunday?

Answer 25

10,000 ppl gathered in Londonderry for civil rights march
Army sealed off original route so that the march was led to the Nationalist side of the city but some continued towards the barricade where youths threw stones at soldiers
They responded with CS gas and rubber bullets
As it dispersed, First Parachute regiment ordered to arrest as many rioters as poss, some opened fire on crowds, killing 13 ppl

Question 26

What was the reaction to Bloody Sunday?

Answer 26

Home Secretary, Maudling argued it self defence and failed to launch an enquiry but the people of Bogside saw it as murder. This prompted Devlin to slap Maudling across the face

Question 27

What was found in the Widgery report?

Answer 27

He acquitted the army and blamed the civilians saying they had handled bombs and guns
Led to relatives of the dead and nationalist community campaigning for a fresh public enquiry which wasn’t launched till 1998

Question 28

What happened to the Ulster Unionists as a result of Bloody Sunday?

Answer 28

It disintegrated and the Democratic Unionists formed, led by Paisley and the modern Unionists formed the non-sectarian Alliance Party

Question 29

What was the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 29

‘73, Heath, Whitelaw, leaders of UUP, SDLP and the Alliance parties negotiated Sunningdale Agreement that would create a new govt. in N.Ireland where power would be shared

Question 30

What was proposed in the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 30

A power-sharing Executive of both nationalists and unionists- both sides guaranteed representation
New N.I assembly elected under a PR system
A Council of Ireland that would have input from the Republic of Ireland

Question 31

What were the limitations to the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 31

Both loyalists and republicans saw it as a sellout
The rank and file of UUP were opposed and Faulkner was replaces by opponent of the agreement, Harry West
Links between UUP and Conservative Party were so weak that Tories didn’t have guaranteed support in Parliament so lost power in ‘74 election