1. What are the historical origins of the conflict in Northern Ireland?
The English and British conquests of Ireland during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries stripped the native Irish and the English Catholic settlers from their land in favor of the new English and Scottish settlers. The colonial conquests revoked citizenship from the Catholics, which created the unrest that led into 1923 after the Easter Rising in 1916 and divided Northern Ireland from the rest of Ireland. A discriminatory regime was led from 1921 to 1972, creating tension and inequality between the Catholics and the Protestants.
2. How did domestic forces drive the conflict and its negotiated resolution?
Religious identity was the most important factor in dividing North Ireland. The symbols and shrines of each religion became signs of nationalism on both sides of the conflict.The opposition of violence by Catholic and Protestant leaders created tension when they found that it made it hard to exert control over factions. Tension between the Catholics and Protestants came into the public eye when the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and the Irish National Liberation Army decided a treaty was necessary, and negotiated settlement and pushed towards peace between the Catholics and Protestants.
3. How important were international religious and political forces?
Secular and religious international actors, such as Bill Clinton (the President of the United States), Tony Blair (British Prime Minister), and Bertie Ahern (Irish Prime Minister), who worked together to negotiate peace between the Catholic and Protestant factions. Ahern and Blair worked especially close, creating a relatively equal relationship between the political parties in Northern Ireland. Religious leaders from across the world also aided in easing tensions in Northern Ireland, but their impact was harder to record. Catholic bishops condemned violence and advocated human rights, but when Pope John Paul II it didn't do much for the IRA or any other groups. The World Council of Churches gave support to human rights also, but it was not as effective as the aid by political leaders.
4. What role did socioeconomic factors play?
Socioeconomic factors played a crucial role in developing the Northern Ireland conflict. Social unrest arose from Catholic protests against their discrimination by the Protestants, drawing inspiration from the American Civil Rights Movement. This resulted in Bloody Sunday, an event in which 14 Catholic protestors were killed by British soldiers, and started the Troubles, which were a series of events that resulted in conflict and casualties for the Catholics. In working-class neighborhoods, fences were erected to separate Protestant and Catholic citizens and prevent conflict, and eventually led to the creation of government-sponsored initiatives like Action for Community Employment (ACE) to help the Catholic who were suffering more than the Protestants and equalize the wage gap. Rivalry was created between the Catholic Church and the IRA as the Catholic Church became the primary beneficiary of British funding. After the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the rivalry between Protestants and Catholics, the tensions have lowered but Northern Ireland still remains very divided.
5. How did religion intersect with these other factors in driving outcomes?
The religious disagreements between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland caused political divisions and differing political parties. However, the dedication to peace by the Irish government, despite the uneasiness caused by rivalry, eventually allowed peace to prevail after many years of division and unrest. Despite the political prevalence, the Protestants and Catholics still remain divided, but no longer fight as they used to before the work of international political leaders and religious leaders, and the help of local government, stepped in and stopped the disagreement.