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Did political initiatives achieve anything between 1970-1995?

Lesson objectives… To realise what the different peace treaties were To evaluate whether any of the treaties and the political initiatives were successful To recognise the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and determine the consequences of its policies

Paramilitary rule… As the IRA’s violence increased in retaliation to Bloody Sunday in 1972, so did the Loyalist paramilitary groups in response Both paramilitary groups attacked each other, activists and civilians in the belief that if the violence escalated far enough then people would call a halt to it It was all part of a vicious circle which was to continue well into the 1990s. The threat of the IRA generated support for Loyalist paramilitaries. Loyalist attacks reinforced the role of the IRA as defenders of their community. Some people even said that the paramilitaries relied on each other to give themselves a reason to exist

Attacks on mainland… The paramilitaries ruled through fear In retaliation to British interference in Northern Ireland, the IRA (conducted a guerrilla war against Britain) bombed locations on mainland Britain between 1969-1997 (they also assassinated important people) This was in order to strike terror and for the IRA to assert their authority and to turn people against the British government (and their rule in Ireland) August 1979: Lord Mountbatten, the Queen's uncle, and three others killed by Provisional IRA bomb in County Sligo. The same day, 18 soldiers killed in bomb attack at Warrenpoint, County Down. Wreckage of Lord Mountbatten's boat after the IRA bomb

Sinn Fein – a significant political force… Sinn Fein became a significant political force in the 1980s Sinn Fein used a powerful combination of anti-British statements, republican aims and demands for improved social conditions to gain support For the politicians in Northern Ireland, the Republic and Britain the increasing support for Sinn Fein was a major worry If support continued to grow, it looked quite possible that a political party committed to armed struggle would become the largest nationalist party in Northern Ireland They needed democracy…

Your task… You should have been given 6 sheets: 1) Politics and violence after Bloody Sunday 2) Attempts at peace 3) Downing Street declaration statement 4) The peace process in Northern Ireland 5) Fast track – five steps to Good Friday Agreement 6)The main terms of the Good Friday Agreement – 1998 Stick the sheets in – you are going to highlight the key points

1973- 74. The Power shaving Executive and the Sunningdale Agreement. Aim: To undermine IRA by giving Nationalists a say in how Northern Ireland is run. How: A mixed assembly of both nationalists and unionists from all the main parties. They would link Belfast, Dublin and London. Problems: Nationalists thought it would mean the Republic saying how the North should be run. (Which they liked) The Unionists thought it would mean the Republic saying how the North should be run. (Which they didn’t like) Unionist strikes brought the Power Sharing to an end and Northern Ireland was back to Direct Rule.

1985. The Anglo-Irish Agreement. Aim: To stop violence in the North the British Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher) wanted to involve the Irish Republic. There were to be strong links between the Government of Ireland and the British Government. How: Cross-boarder co-operation in security, legal and political issues. Strong relationships between the two governments. Problems: The Agreement was liked by most but Sinn Fien rejected it because it confirmed Partition. Hard line Unionists rejected it because they thought betrayed. Huge Protests against it (Ian Paisley) Nationalist support did move from Sinn Fien to the SDLP.

1995. The Downing Street Declaration. Aim: To bring piece to the North. How: Political parties had to reject violence if they were to be involved any talks in the future. Problems: Extreme Unionist and nationalists did not except it. Ian Paisley said John Major had “sold out Ulster to buy off the fiendish republican scum.” It does lead to Paramilitaries and politicians working towards an end to violence.

The Downing Street Declaration of December 1993 The Prime Minister, on behalf of the British government, reaffirms that they have no selfish, strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland. The role of the British Government will be to encourage, facilitate and enable the achievement of agreement. They accept that such agreement may take the form of agreed structures for the island as a whole, including a united Ireland achieved by peaceful means on the following basis. The British Government agree that it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively, to exercise their right of self-determination on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South, to bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish.

The main terms of The Good Friday Agreement – 1998 1. Sensitive to N. Ireland because they are losing control as before it had always been predominantly controlled by the protestants and now they’d have to share control with the Catholics 2. Sensitive to both sides because they all have to work together The main terms of The Good Friday Agreement – 1998 A new Northern Ireland Assembly (Parliament) was set up. Major decisions must have the agreement of all communities A North-South Assembly was set up, including leaders from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland The Irish Republic ended its claim to Northern Ireland The policing of Northern Ireland was to be reviewed to remove fear of anti-Catholic bias The British government promised to release paramilitary prisoners early 3. Particularly sensitive to Republic because they were focused on having a united Ireland 5. Controversial to Britain because of the release of paramilitary groups, because these groups had attacked England. Will be sensitive to Republic (southern Ireland) and Northern Ireland because it’s going to make both sides anxious because they are going to let extremists out from both sides 4. This is going to be a sensitive issue towards the Protestants because they have had the benefit the police force on their side to a certain degree and they will loose this

Lesson objectives… To realise what the different peace treaties were To evaluate whether any of the treaties and the political initiatives were successful To recognise the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and determine the consequences of its policies