Northern Ireland Peace Process

Historical Background

In the 17th century, Britain consolidated its control over the whole of Ireland. The province of Ulster, having been a source of unrest, was then planted with Scottish Presbyterians (and other groups in lesser numbers) in order to pacify the area. These people were the ancestors of today's Protestant Northern Ireland citizens. The Irish Catholic population that the Scots were intended to replace did not disappear entirely but remained a minority in the province. When the rest of Ireland gained independence from British rule in 1921, most of Ulster remained part of the United Kingdom, forming what we now call Northern Ireland. It was given its own parliament, and laws and practices tended to favor the Protestant population over the minority Catholic population. Most aspects of civic life were divided, with Protestants and Catholics attending separate schools, playing different sports, and joining different clubs.

In the late 1960s, violence broke out as a result of Catholic demands for civil rights and opposition to those demands by some Protestants. Paramilitaries formed or were reinvigorated on both sides, ostensibly in defense of their own people, but they also became increasingly engaged in offensive and retaliatory actions. The British army was sent in to keep order, and although initially welcomed in some areas, its tactics soon led it to be viewed as an occupying force. In 1972, the British government took power from the Northern Irish Parliament and imposed direct rule from London, which has continued with few interruptions to the present. Attempts were made in the 1970s and 1980s to find a political solution to the conflict, but none was successful. Many peace groups, however, were working at the grass roots and behind the scenes to promote a transformation of the conflict.

Political Groups in Northern Ireland