Background
While the roots of the conflict in Northern Ireland date back to the 17th century, the current conflict is more directly related to the partitioning of Ireland after the formation of the Republic as a separate country free from British rule. In the early 1920s, the island of Ireland was divided into an independent southern Republic and a northern part that continued to be governed by Britain. In the north the largely Protestant, Unionist majority maintained power over the largely Catholic, Republican minority through discriminatory social practices. According to those supporting the Unionist position, the majority in the north prefer to remain part of the United Kingdom, while for those supporting the Republican position British withdrawal and a united Ireland is a political goal.
The conflict flared up in the late 1960s, and clashes in autumn 1968 between the RUC (the British police force in Northern Ireland) and the civil rights movement (mainly Northern Irish Catholics) are often considered as the prelude to the 'Troubles'. During this time the IRA (Irish Republican Army), which was formed in response to the partition of Ireland, began to organize the disaffected Catholic youth into a regimented military structure. Violence between the RUC and rioting youth affiliated with the civil rights movement gradually turned into a full-fledged armed conflict. The British Army was drafted in to restore order and the IRA's claim to be subject to British occupation gathered momentum.
The conflict was relatively intense throughout the 1970s, especially as a result of 'Bloody Sunday' (1972), when the British Army opened fire on an unarmed crowd of civil rights protestors. In the 1980s, attacks were targeted on the British mainland and abroad, including a bombing at the governing Conservative Part's annual conference. In August 1994, the IRA declared a ceasefire, which lasted until February 1996. The IRA then resumed its bombing campaign as a response to the British government's refusal to negotiate with Sinn Fein, a political party with close ties with the IRA. The bombings continued until July 1997, when the negotiation process was revived and the IRA declared a cessation of hostilities once again.
As a result of the ceasefire, a devolved government that incorporates both Unionist and Republican parties has been attempted and dissolved in Northern Ireland numerous times. The calls for a power sharing government have grown in strength since the IRA agreed to decommission its weapons and concentrate on the political arm of the movement. Negotiations regarding self-rule in Northern Ireland are currently ongoing, however, a power sharing agreement was signed by Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party in April 2007.
