Northern Ireland
...er of Ireland. The past leaders of Ireland had their properties seized and handed over to British colonists. The protestant area of Ulster was one that was different than the other areas of Ireland, as it attempted to bring in colonists of all sorts from England, Wales, and Scotland through respectable offers of land. The Irish control thought this would bring a larger society to the Island. The Irish natives did not leave, but were not aloud in the town areas, and were sent out to the wetlands and edges of the land in which was once their own. As more and more immigrated to the Island, the Protestant numbers rose more than the Catholic Irish Natives. The conflict in Northern Ireland is one that has been drawn out within fifty years of the area. The same territory was controlled by two different hostile groups with different beliefs. The first group believed that their land had had been taken from them while the other was on its heels with the scare of rebellion. Their problems were quickly identified to their culture differences, but mainly from their difference in religion. Laws were made that seemed unjust toward the Catholics, while the Dublin based governments would take a more lenient stance toward the Presbyterians. In 1801, England took over the Irish Parliament and government through an Act of Union. The Union experienced mass movements attempting to overthrow its power. Movements like the Repeal movement in the 1840’s and the Home Rule movement in the 1870’s were public assemblies. The Union also received attempts from forces like the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Fenians. Just when it seemed the Union would be overthrown by the Home Rule act, the First World War started, taking the attention away. During the course of the war, an organized rebellion tried to take over Dublin during the week of Easter in 1916. When the uprising failed, the IRA, Sinn Fein, and all its members received large amounts of sympathy, while the leaders of the rebellion were executed. Sinn Fein eventually started his own Irish parliament while replacing the past Parliamentary Party. This would once again spawn a war between the IRA and Britain. The war would finally end by a treaty and the Government of Ireland Act in 1920. Ulster Protestants remained uneasy about the threat of establishing home rule for Ireland. So from the 1880’s and on they prepared themselves for resistance. By the year 1912, a civil war seemed inevitable, but the concentration was shifted from Ulster by the start of the First World War From 1918, Ulster Protestants attempted to shield the northern countries from making any Home Rule Arrangements. The 1920 Government of Ireland Act was started the follow year. This act partitioned the island of Ireland and shows their position. In 1921 the settlement provoked a civil war in the 26 countries of the south. The civil war took place whether people accepted the settlement or if they saw the settlement as an act of deceitfulness. Demographic comprise proved to be the method of giving the name Northern Ireland to the new six countries. It was seemingly the largest area which held a large or reasonable majority in favor of the Union with Britain. A subordinate government in Belfast under a bicameral legislature was the new arrangement. They had authority of policing, education, local government, and social services. London kept hold of the ultimate authority, while Northern Ireland sent military forces to secure England. The Irish republicans saw this challenge of establishment as a way to finish what they had started. IRA campaigns took place from the 1920’s through the 1950’s in an attempt to still secure a united and independent Ireland, even if force was necessary. Most unionists saw the new arrangements would still need constant supervision. Emergency legislation was brought forth permanently and a full police force with reserves was made. The police force was almost completely Protestant. Local government electoral boundaries were then openly divided. The nationalist used the same tactic of economic discrimination against the Catholic minority of Northern Ireland. This minority made up for about one-third of the population for a vast majority of the 20th century and is now around 40 percent. Several social changes were led from England following WWII. The Catholic middle class wished to have a new free secondary education program for everyone in the 1950’s. However, the Catholic middle class disapproved of the system which led to a civil rights campaign in the 1960’s. This launched the Northern Ireland Civil Right Association (NICRA) in 1967, which required liberal reforms, including anti-discriminatory abilities for Irish jobs and houses. The N.I.C.R.A. was set to imitate the civil rights campaign in the US, which was full of marches and protests that gripped the media’s attention. In 1969 the British sent in national troops to employ force due to the local administration’s inability to handle the chaos. The troops were welcomed immediately by the Catholics and gave them an incentive to bring the republican movement back to life. The newly created IRA began to rebel against the national army. By 1972, the Northern Ireland government with not able to handle the situation being brought forth by the IRA: despite establishing troops to control the area a year earlier. Using the guidelines of the Government of Ireland Act, the Northern Irish government was replaced by the powerful English parliament and continued their rule into the 1990’s. The campaign for civil rights was one that had grown in success. Its first major steps were made by the end of 1970 as the IRA grew stronger by 1972. (Darby) The religious feud between the Catholics and Protestants was not the major point of concern. The 1970’s biggest battles were between the temporary IRA and the British army, including involvement from the brave paramilitary. John Hamilton, 22, born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, had this to say about the conflict: “Everyone living in Northern Ireland is affected in some party by the current situation. The majority of violence is contained in certain areas. The extent to which you are affected by the violence really relates to how close you live to these areas. The city has many “flashpoints” i.e. where both sections of the community are located beside one another. These create a lot of tension. The situation has been generally improving over the last decade or so due to political developments and paramilitary ceasefires. It is safer to walk around Belfast City Center without worry about bomb scares and shootings. A lot of trouble is experienced during the summer when there are traditional marches and parades. These parades are seen by some in the area as purposely intimidating. This causes aggravation and situations of rioting in trouble spots.” “I am not on any side. Most of my closest friends are from the opposite cultural background to me and it has never been an issue between us. The last decade has seen many great improvements, which have allowed me to grow up without being involved in shooting and bombs. The frequency of terrorist acts over this period is far less than in the 60’s and 70’s. Violence continues to exist on a different scale now more commonly related to paramilitaries being involved in drugs and street crimes as opposed to bomb campaigns and terrorist activities. There have been many atrocities in the past which have devastated both sides of the community. These have continued to breed bitterness against one another and are the reason why this situation is such a difficult one to resolve. Through time and political development, we should see more positive signs of progression toward a united community.” John attended Otterbein as part of a national program that randomly selected students to travel to America and to go to college for one year. Socially, John saw many differences from Belfast and Westerville. The main difference he saw was superficiality. He wondered why people cared so much and we people viewed knowing the right people so importantly. Obviously, if John had gone to Ohio State, or a larger school, I’m sure he would not have noticed this type of thing. John has rarely seen or been near any violent acts in the latter years of his life. He says the only time he would have fear would be leaving clubs and p...