Political history of northern ireland
Political History of Northern Ireland The political conflicts in Northern Ireland originate from many different sources. The complex issues have greatly affected the British colony for many centuries. This paper will review the conflicts, primarily since 1920. After a brief summary of the geography of Northern Ireland, the two main political parties and their perspectives will be explained. Next, theories of the cause of the conflict will be covered, as will proposed solution. Finally, the steps toward peace in the last decade will be explained. Since 1920 Northern Ireland has been a part of the United Kingdom, however geographically it is located on the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland has six counties and the population is over 1.5 million (Wolff 1). Formally known as Ulster, after the former province, its capital city is Belfast. Northern Ireland comprises only one-sixth of the land mass of the island, measuring 110 miles east and west, and 85 miles north and south ("Northern Ireland").The history of the conflict in Ireland originated, many believe, in the 16th century, when Irish Catholics were forced to leave the North. England moved Presbyterians from Scotland and Northern England to replace the Catholics. This move
The secrecy of the agreement meant that the Unionist politicians had not been consulted in the effort (Cochrane 27). As with so many previous treaties and agreements, the Good Friday Agreement only provided a brief respite of peace (Imbornoni). d was intended to populate Northern Ireland with docile, compliant residents. Explanations for the conflict have been expressed from external and internal views. The Downing Street Declaration of 1993 was the result of discussions between the British and Irish governments. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded that year to John Hume and David Trimble, the leaders of the largest Catholic and Protestant political parties. Experts believe this was "the most dramatic and significant event in the recent history of the conflict" (Dunn 719+). The continued violence that occurred over 25 years, between 1970 and mid-1990, led to so many deaths and injuries that every individual had personal experience with the results of the violence. The Nationalists in Ireland became violent over their sense of injustice and discrimination. In many post-colonial states throughout history, nationalism emerges as an effort to establish a national identity, achieve self-determination and to protect the indigenous cultures that were previously threatened (White). Some have suggested that Northern Ireland be fully integrated into the United Kingdom. Trimble finally allowed Sinn Fein to maintain their weapons, but gave them a deadline of January 31, 2000 to disarm. Both of these models were originally proposed in 1972 (Wolff 3). The civil rights campaign in the region in the late 1960's contributed to the conflict (Dunn 719+). " Unfortunately, this term has little meaning because the problem is perceived differently depending on the points of view of the participants (Darby).
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