Source E, is a Protestant cartoon. It is an item of propaganda, which was being used to make all Protestant’s anti-Catholic. It is a visual source, from the nineteenth century, so it is a primary source. It portrays Erin (as a woman) bound in ropes by a Catholic priest. This cartoon, was intended to make Protestants think that the Catholic Church are trying to control Irish Catholics, and that the priests are the spearhead for everything Catholics do, and that if there was an independent Ireland, it would be controlled by the Catholic priests. This cartoon was released at the time that Catholics were looking for Home Rule, and it was trying to persuade Protestants against Home Rule. In the cartoon Ireland looks unhappy, this is trying to say that Ireland will not flourish under Home Rule. The priest also looks very stern, and this is to make it out that all priests are like this. The priest also is well dressed, in a poor area, and the girl, representing Ireland is also poorly dressed, this is to try and convince Protestants, that the Priests will think of themselves first and foremost, and not really care about the rest of the population. As it is from the nineteenth century, it shows a long-term cause for the Troubles. It shows that at the time of Home Rule, Protestants were scared to be under the control of a Nationalist controlled Country. However, although is shows us of the Protestant fears, of a united Ireland, it does not give us a full picture of the cause of the Troubles. The source itself is quite limited, as one must rely on their own knowledge to explain how this is a long term cause of the Troubles.
Source F is a visual source, showing the Gerrymander in Derry in 1966. This source is non-biased and objective. It is also easy to read, and digest. It merely depicts the statistical facts, of the boundaries set for the elections. It tells us that although the population of Derry was 30,376 and Catholics were almost in a 2:1 majority, there were only 8 Catholic nationalist councillors, and 12 Protestant Unionist councillors. Some intelligent and terribly discriminative tactics achieved this for the Unionists. As they were in majority, in the Boundary commission, they could set the boundaries and the number of councillors for this area. So for example in the South Ward area, there were 11,185 voters, and there was a 90% majority of Catholics, there were only 8 councillors elected. However in the much smaller area, North Ward, there were only 6,476 voters and the Protestants were in a 61% majority, there was also 8 councillors. This shows us of the extremely powerful position of the Unionist government. It also shows how scared of a united Ireland, that they intended to stamp down on the Catholics. It also shows of the discrimination in the electoral system. Due to this Catholics became increasingly frustrated, because there was no one they could complain to about the atrocious treatment they were receiving. However, Source F does not give the full picture, of the discrimination against Catholics. Catholics also tended to be given the most basic housing possible, with the most basic amenities, and in many causes a single Protestant man or women would get the newly build council houses over a Catholic family of eight living in worse conditions than the Protestants previous accommodation. However, source F is very useful, as it is completely objective.
Source G is a Protestant cartoon of Catholic attacks on Protestants in 1641. In 1641 the native Irish rebelled against the intruders from England. This cartoon was drawn for a Protestant textbook. As it is a cartoon, it is highly unlikely to be accurate. It is also for a Protestant textbook, so it will definitely be biased, to show the Protestant perspective. It is a visual source, accompanied by writing. The writing says “English Protestants stripped naked and turned into the mountains in the frost and snow”, it is highly unlikely that this actually happened. The source also tells us that the Protestants were scared of this happening again, and this is why they wanted to stay out of a Republic with a Catholic majority. This source justifies the nationalist claim that the state schools were taught the unionist version of history. It also shows the indoctrination of the young in the education system, as the Protestants were being taught that the Catholics were savage, and could do such a crude act. Although this source does tell us of the indoctrination in the education system, it does not mention, or show any other reasons for the outbreak of the Troubles. This source is quite useful.
Source H shows R.U.C. officers strike a civil rights marcher on 5th October 1968. It is a photo, so it could be staged, however this is unlikely, as it would be hard to get three police uniforms. Another reason that it is likely to be true, as it was known for attacks like this to happen very often, and some were televised. This was because a high percentage of the R.U.C. was Protestant, and the Civil Rights Marchers were seen as a Catholic group, however there were also Protestants. There are three Policemen, hitting the one marcher, this shows brutality, and the marcher seems defenceless, and is trying to cover himself. Furthermore, the officers seem to be enjoying it. This source shows us of the R.U.C.’s discrimination against the mainly Catholic Civil Rights marchers. However it does not show us anywhere near all the causes for the start of the Troubles. Source H is very useful, as it is fact, as a camera doesn’t lie.
Source I is again a visual source, as it is a photo. It shows crowd violence as Loyalists ambush civil rights marchers in January 1969. This source shows loyalists attacking, the fearful mainly Catholic Civil Rights marchers. You can tell that the marchers are fearful, as they are crouched over for protection. From my own knowledge I know that the march was organised by the People’s Democracy, a group of marchers from Queens. The march was peaceful, so this shows the malicious nature of the loyalists. The picture also shows the R.U.C. doing very little. This source shows the discrimination against Catholics from both the loyalists and the police force. However it does not show any other reasons for the outbreak of the Troubles. Source I is very useful, as this did actually happen, but it is only one of the many causes for the outbreak of the Troubles.
Source J is a video, which I watched in class. The video shows use both the long term and short term reasons. It tells us that the Unionists were scared of a united Ireland, because they would be in a minority. It tells us of the discriminative political system, in the Unionist dominated Government. It tells us of the Specials Powers Act, this was brought in 1922, and it allowed the R.U.C. to arrest without warrants, and to intern without trail. This goes against democracy, and was mainly used on Catholics. It was intended to end when the emergency was over, however it was used by the Unionist Government until 1972. Source J also shows us how the Unionists stamped authority on the state of Northern Ireland. It gives detailed information into the formation of the R.U.C. and the B Specials, which were mostly ex-members of the U.V.F. (Ulster Volunteer Force). It also shows us the discrimination against Catholics in politics, employment, housing and social segregation. It also tells us of the Gerrymander, and the boundaries for elections. Source J is by far the most useful, as it shows nearly every point of view, and touches on many of the causes of the outbreak of the Troubles. However it does not give sufficient detail on some areas of the outbreak of the Troubles.
In conclusion I deduced that there is not sufficient evidence in sources D-J to explain why the Troubles broke out in 1969. Although there is a lot of information on some reasons, there is not enough on others. For example there is no mention of the tradition of republic outbreaks through Irish history, in their struggle for liberation.
Chris Gallagher