How much Progress had been made in resolving the Political, Economic and Social causes of conflict in Northern Ireland by 1985?

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How much Progress had been made in resolving the Political, Economic and Social causes of conflict in Northern Ireland by 1985?

Up until 1985 there were many steps attempted in order to reduce violence in Northern Ireland, but they were met with vast opposition for the most part, and many failed completely. However, there were some factors that signified progress on reducing violence.

In some ways progress was made in Northern Ireland. 1n June 1973 an election was held that would result in the setting up of a power sharing government, a system where the government was run by a power sharing executive, containing a number of Catholics. This was great progress because it encouraged cooperation between Catholics and Protestants, and reassured Catholics that attempts were being made to include them in the government. Also, proportional representation was reintroduced, which gave the Catholics a voice, which was a huge confidence boost for the Nationalists because they now had a fair opportunity in the elections. The Anglo Irish Agreement, another big factor in trying to reduce conflict, was signed on November 15th 1985 at a place called Hillsborough Castle, between Margaret Thatcher and Garret Fitzgerald, the PM of Eire. This agreement set up an Intergovernmental conference, where the Northern Ireland Secretary and the Irish foreign minister would meet regularly to cooperate on Security, political and legal issues. This was progress because it now meant that the IRA would have a harder time avoiding official forces, and should lead to a reduction in levels if violence.

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Another step in the right direction was the attempted reforms, such as the disbandment of the B-Specials in 1969. This was huge progress because it now meant that the Catholics felt far less threatened by the constant violence and torment the B specials struck on the ordinary Catholics of Ireland. In 1984 the army arrested 47 protestant paramilitary members. This showed the Catholics that they were also trying to tackle the Protestant Rebels, not just target Catholics.

However, there is a large amount of evidence that shows that sufficient progress had not been made in dealing with the ...

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