The Intervention in Northern Ireland, 1969: Causes, Consequences, and Peace Process, Slides of Psychology

Download The Intervention in Northern Ireland, 1969: Causes, Consequences, and Peace Process and more Slides Psychology in PDF only on Docsity!

The intervention

Londonderry

August 1969

When?

• 14 August

– Londonderry/Derry

• Bogside

• 16 August

– Belfast

• Falls/Shankill

Why were troops sent?

Immediate cause

Why?

• The official reason was to protect the Catholic population, especially in Belfast,

against Loyalist attacks.

• At first Catholics welcomed British troops as impartial or neutral peace- keepers.
• Privately the British government was aware that the number of disturbances

across Northern Ireland was so great that the 3000-strong RUC could not cope any longer.

• British secret intelligence wrongly believed the IRA was about to launch an

uprising in Belfast and Londonderry.

• In fact the IRA lacked arms, membership and popular support at this time.

Why political violence in 1969?

• Failure of leadership on all sides in Northern Ireland to manage change.
• By the 1960s a significant number of people on both sides of the sectarian

and political divide wanted to change Northern Ireland and give it

• a fairer society and
• a modern economy
• They seriously under-estimated the economic and communal obstacles to

a true liberal democracy

Who wanted what in the 1960s?

For change Against change Own agendas

Moderate unionists,

such as Terence

O’Neill

Members of the NI

government, such as

Brian Faulkner

British government

Campaign for Social

Justice

Ian Paisley & Free

Presbyterians

Orange Order

People’s

Democracy

Northern Ireland Civil

Rights Association

(NICRA)

Some of RUC

B-Specials

Irish Republican

Army

Two Catholic grievances

Why did civil rights lead to violence?

A new tone

in

civil rights

marches

Londonderry, 1968

Note the socialist symbols

Protestant opposition & resentment

Rev. Dr Ian Paisley Many working-class Loyalists were angry at the demands of the 'civil righters'. They resented the impression given in the media that only Catholics suffered hardships while a privileged Protestant community looked down on them. They also had to deal with poor living conditions and hardship. ‘It was all Catholics this, the Catholics that, living in poverty and us lording it over them. People looked around and said, ‘What are they talking about us? With the damp running down the walls and the houses not fit to live in.’

Confrontation

The most

spectacular

confrontation

happened on

4 January

1969 (top and

bottom right).

Then a march

organised by

the PD was

ambushed by

loyalists at

Burntollet,

near

Londonderry.

The police

appeared to

do little to

protect the

marchers.

Aftermath 1

Did the troops restore order?

Aftermath 2

Further descent into

political violence

30 years of political violence

• Peace initiatives failed in face of opposition
• Protestants spearheaded by Ian Paisley
  • With Protestant paramilitary forces on hand
  • Maintain United Kingdom
  • Keep Dublin government out of Northern Ireland
• Revived IRA
  • With political wing, Sinn Fein, led by Gerry Adams
  • Eject Britain & British troops from Northern Ireland
  • United Ireland