If the political conflict in Northern Ireland from 1968 - 1998 was not a religious war, what factors explain the violence that took place?
If the political conflict in Northern Ireland from 1968 - 1998 was not a religious war, what factors explain the violence that took place?
The political conflict in Northern Ireland which took place between 1968 and 1998, also known as The Troubles, took lives of over 3,500 people. Some believe that it was a religious conflict. They admit that economic and social differences were very important as well but they argue that religions were the major causes of the conflict as the rival sides adhered to different religious beliefs (Bruce 1986, p. 249 in: Tonge 1998, p. 94). Others, however, say that religion was an important factor but was not centre to the conflict and that there were other crucial reasons for the long-lasting violence (Tonge 1998, p. 94; chapter 2 in: Darby 1995). In my essay I am going to write a brief history of The Troubles, then show why some people believe that religious differences were the most important reason for the thirty years of violence. After that I am going to present contrary arguments in order to show why religion was, indeed, an important element in the conflict but certainly not the most crucial one.
In order to understand the reasons for the outbreak of the conflict, I anticipate it is necessary to know at least a brief history of Northern Ireland. The roots of the conflict date back to 1169 when the Anglo-Norman invasion took place and since then England has had a dominion over Ireland. In the sixteenth century England became Protestant whilst Ireland remained Catholic. At the beginning of the seventeenth century the conquest of Ireland was accomplished and later in the century Protestant settlers, mainly from Scotland, were given the land in Northern Ireland which had belonged to the Catholic Irish. The Anglican Protestant dominance over the Irish lasted as long as until the twentieth century. In 1801 the Act of Union was established integrating the Irish Parliament into the Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland. Later in the nineteenth century as a result of discrimination, a large part of the Irish Catholics emigrated, mainly to the United States. In 1916 a small group of republicans declared an Irish republic but they were defeated and executed by the British. The republican party, Sinn Fein, gained sympathy and won the election in 1918. In 1920 Ireland was partitioned from the United Kingdom. A constitution of the Irish Free State (i.e. the Southern part of Ireland, which was overwhelmingly Catholic) was established in 1937 while Catholics were being discriminated in Northern Ireland. In the 1960s the conflict started to intensify and the British decided to militarily intervene. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) defended the Catholics from the unionists but also attacked the British Army. Unionist paramilitary groups answered with violence against Catholics. As a result, the United Kingdom held off the Northern Ireland Parliament and tried to establish power-sharing between nationalists and unionist. However, the attempt failed. In 1985 the British government gave the right to govern Northern Ireland to the Irish, which decreased power of the unionists. The IRA ceased fire in 1994. However, they did not accepted the British ultimatum to give up their weapons and continued the conflict in 1996. A year later they held fire again and in 1998, following the Good Friday Agreement power-sharing between nationalists and unionists was introduced. The conflict, after thirty years of horrific violence, was finally over (Dixon 2001, pp. 2-6).
Northern Ireland is a significantly religious country, the most religious member of the United Kingdom. In the 1991 census only 3.7 per cent of the population declared themselves as atheists or agnostics, and the vast majority of the Northern Irish are Catholics or Protestants. (Darby 1997, p. 44). Many say that the main cause of the conflict were religious differences as the two communities could not live together peacefully. However, it is not true. The economy of Northern Ireland has always been a big issue. The country has few natural resources, unemployment is very high (much higher than in England, Scotland and Wales) and the outbreak of violence only worsened the state of the economy. In such conditions these communities have to cooperate in order to survive (Darby 1997, pp. 46-47). However, throughout the previous century Catholics were in a worse economic situation than Protestants. In 1996 Catholics were much more likely to be unemployed than Protestants (the unemployment rate of Protestants was 9 per cent compared to 18 per cent for Catholics). Also other areas of life are conditioned by religious preferences. Most schools are either attended by Protestant and non-religious or Catholic students. A significantly small minority of pupils attend newly formed integrated schools. Protestant higher education students tend to go to British universities whilst Catholics often stay in Northern Ireland and study at either Queen's University, Belfast or the University of Ulster. Some sports are preferred by either of the groups, while some are played by both. These two communities are heavily separated, however cross-religious contact is becoming more and more widespread and frequent (Darby 1997, pp. 49-51).
The political conflict in Northern Ireland which took place between 1968 and 1998, also known as The Troubles, took lives of over 3,500 people. Some believe that it was a religious conflict. They admit that economic and social differences were very important as well but they argue that religions were the major causes of the conflict as the rival sides adhered to different religious beliefs (Bruce 1986, p. 249 in: Tonge 1998, p. 94). Others, however, say that religion was an important factor but was not centre to the conflict and that there were other crucial reasons for the long-lasting violence (Tonge 1998, p. 94; chapter 2 in: Darby 1995). In my essay I am going to write a brief history of The Troubles, then show why some people believe that religious differences were the most important reason for the thirty years of violence. After that I am going to present contrary arguments in order to show why religion was, indeed, an important element in the conflict but certainly not the most crucial one.
In order to understand the reasons for the outbreak of the conflict, I anticipate it is necessary to know at least a brief history of Northern Ireland. The roots of the conflict date back to 1169 when the Anglo-Norman invasion took place and since then England has had a dominion over Ireland. In the sixteenth century England became Protestant whilst Ireland remained Catholic. At the beginning of the seventeenth century the conquest of Ireland was accomplished and later in the century Protestant settlers, mainly from Scotland, were given the land in Northern Ireland which had belonged to the Catholic Irish. The Anglican Protestant dominance over the Irish lasted as long as until the twentieth century. In 1801 the Act of Union was established integrating the Irish Parliament into the Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland. Later in the nineteenth century as a result of discrimination, a large part of the Irish Catholics emigrated, mainly to the United States. In 1916 a small group of republicans declared an Irish republic but they were defeated and executed by the British. The republican party, Sinn Fein, gained sympathy and won the election in 1918. In 1920 Ireland was partitioned from the United Kingdom. A constitution of the Irish Free State (i.e. the Southern part of Ireland, which was overwhelmingly Catholic) was established in 1937 while Catholics were being discriminated in Northern Ireland. In the 1960s the conflict started to intensify and the British decided to militarily intervene. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) defended the Catholics from the unionists but also attacked the British Army. Unionist paramilitary groups answered with violence against Catholics. As a result, the United Kingdom held off the Northern Ireland Parliament and tried to establish power-sharing between nationalists and unionist. However, the attempt failed. In 1985 the British government gave the right to govern Northern Ireland to the Irish, which decreased power of the unionists. The IRA ceased fire in 1994. However, they did not accepted the British ultimatum to give up their weapons and continued the conflict in 1996. A year later they held fire again and in 1998, following the Good Friday Agreement power-sharing between nationalists and unionists was introduced. The conflict, after thirty years of horrific violence, was finally over (Dixon 2001, pp. 2-6).
Northern Ireland is a significantly religious country, the most religious member of the United Kingdom. In the 1991 census only 3.7 per cent of the population declared themselves as atheists or agnostics, and the vast majority of the Northern Irish are Catholics or Protestants. (Darby 1997, p. 44). Many say that the main cause of the conflict were religious differences as the two communities could not live together peacefully. However, it is not true. The economy of Northern Ireland has always been a big issue. The country has few natural resources, unemployment is very high (much higher than in England, Scotland and Wales) and the outbreak of violence only worsened the state of the economy. In such conditions these communities have to cooperate in order to survive (Darby 1997, pp. 46-47). However, throughout the previous century Catholics were in a worse economic situation than Protestants. In 1996 Catholics were much more likely to be unemployed than Protestants (the unemployment rate of Protestants was 9 per cent compared to 18 per cent for Catholics). Also other areas of life are conditioned by religious preferences. Most schools are either attended by Protestant and non-religious or Catholic students. A significantly small minority of pupils attend newly formed integrated schools. Protestant higher education students tend to go to British universities whilst Catholics often stay in Northern Ireland and study at either Queen's University, Belfast or the University of Ulster. Some sports are preferred by either of the groups, while some are played by both. These two communities are heavily separated, however cross-religious contact is becoming more and more widespread and frequent (Darby 1997, pp. 49-51).
