What were the Troubles of Northern Ireland?
The Ethno-Religious of Northern Ireland were a series of wars, battles, and hardships that effected the people and politics of the region.
Who and what parties had roles in the Troubles?
PROTESTANT UNIONISTSProtestant Unionists, taking up the majority of the people in Northern Ireland, fought to make Northern Ireland stay part of England. Making up around 80% of the population in Northern Ireland, they thought that their enemies, the Nationalists, could not hold a candle up to them. Even so, the Unionists still found it difficult to convert people in Northern Ireland to stay part of England.
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CATHOLIC NATIONALISTSThe main goal of the Nationalists, who were the majority Catholic, was to make Ireland a completely separate country. They did not have too much power in the fight; only around 20% of the people taking residence in Northern Ireland were Catholic Nationalists. But, even with this amount of people, they still were able to hold up a fight against the Unionists.
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GREAT BRITAINGreat Britain's government had a part to play in the Troubles because, after all, they are the country that Northern Ireland was associated with. They said that they would want Northern Ireland to stay as a part of Ireland, but they tried to remain neutral to the people of the area. They tried to give power to the politicians of Northern Ireland, but this result in more problems about power-sharing.
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But why the violence?The Nationalists and Unionists had the situation escalated when British Soldiers and the Ireland Republican Army opened fire on peaceful-protesting civilians. This left 14 killed with 12 injured too. This event escalated fighting to having people killing each other over past trauma.
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Why were so many killed?Many people were killed for their religion; the exact reason this conflict exists. More Catholic Nationalists were killed than Protestant Unionists; around 500 more. One of the main causes of death during the early Troubles were advancements in bombs. During this time, car bombs and plastic bombs were widespread throughout the killings. With little to notice, people could be killed almost instantly with a bomb planted by an opposing believer. Another major killer in the Troubles were the amounts of shootings. Shootings became a routine operation by the paramilitaries deployed there. Sometimes the shootings would be entirely targeting the civilians, without caring about who they were or what they stood for. Overall, around 200 casualties were caused from these events.
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July 23, 1972 WS ZO City street as IRA bomb goes off on Bloody Friday/ WS People walking through debris-strewn street/ WS PAN Man running across street/ WS Soldiers walking thought street/ Belfast, Northern Ireland
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