Synopses & Reviews
The Troubles in Northern Ireland first broke out in 1969 and led to more than 3,500 deaths over the 30 years that followed. It proved to be the most intractable conflict in Europe since the Second World War. The 1994 IRA ceasefire, the peace process that followed and the eventual emergence of a power-sharing government constituted a remarkable transformation, but fierce debate remains over the recent history of Northern Ireland and its future.
Northern Ireland Since 1969 provides an introduction to the main events surrounding the Troubles, but also critically reviews the debates over the conflict and challenges some of the most influential explanations, examining events in their proper historical context.
Key topics covered in the book include:
· the role of the civil rights movement in the origin of the Troubles
· the British governments handling of the crisis in the early 1970s
· the failure of power sharing in 1974
· the Good Friday Agreement 1998 and its implementation
· the triumph of the DUP and Sinn Féin
· the future of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Since 1969 offers an accessible and comprehensive account of the history, key players and key moments of the conflict, making it an essential introductory text for students encountering the topic for the first time.
Paul Dixon is a Reader in Politics and International Studies at Kingston University. He is the author of Northern Ireland: The Politics of War and Peace (2nd edition, 2008).
Eamonn OKane is Senior Lecturer in Politics and War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton. He is the author of Britain , Ireland and Northern Ireland Since 1980 (2007, paperback 2010).
Synopsis
Provides an accessible and succinct introduction to key themes on the recent history of Northern Ireland.
Synopsis
The conflict in Northern Ireland since 1969 has cost over 3,600 lives and about 100,000 people in Northern Ireland live in a household where someone has been injured in a troubles-related incident. This has been a key issue in British and Irish politics and the recent peace process in Northern Ireland and the current War on Terrorism has stimulated international involvement and a desire to learn the lessons of the troubles.
Although Northern Ireland has a population of just 1.5 million people it is one of the most researched territories of the world. There is considerable controversy over the interpretation of the history of Northern Ireland, not least since 1969. This new addition to the Seminar Studies in History Series provides a comprehensive introduction to the difficult topic, reviewing different perspectives on the recent history of the conflict in Northern Ireland while at the same time providing an authoritative overview.
Each book in the Seminar Studies in History series provides a concise and reliable introduction to complex events and debates. Written by acknowledged experts and supported by extracts from historical Documents, a Chronology, Glossary, Whos Who of key figures and Guide to Further Reading, Seminar Studies in History are the essential guides to understanding a topic.
About the Author
Dr Paul Dixon is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at the University of Kingston. He has just published the second edition of Northern Ireland: The Poltics of War and Peace (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) and has carried out extensive research on the Northern Ireland conflict which has been published in various journals.
Dr Eammon O'Kane is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Wolverhampton and has published on Anglo-Irish relations and conflict resolution.
Table of Contents
Publishers acknowledgements Chronology
Whos who
Glossary
Maps
Part one Analysis and assessment
1 Perspectives on the Northern Ireland conflict
2 The outbreak of the Troubles
3 The power-sharing experiment, 197274
4 Searching for solutions, 197482
5 The Anglo-Irish Agreement 198385
6 The origins of the peace process, 198594
7 From ceasefire to the Good Friday Agreement, 199498
8 The endgame? Implementing the agreement, 19982010
9 Conclusion: the peace process and the future of Northern Ireland
Part two Documents
1 The Men Behind the Wire
2 A loyalist song
3 UK Cabinets sub-committee minutes
4 The death of Bernard McGuigan on Bloody Sunday
5 IRA training manual
6 The death of Jean McConville
7 Proposals of the SDLP
8 Green Paper on the future of Northern Ireland
9 A unionist view on the future of Northern Ireland
10 White Paper on Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals
11 Harold Wilsons Spongers Speech
12 IRA Staff Report
13 The Glover Report
14 Ian Paisley calls for the extermination of the IRA
15 The Anglo-Irish Agreement 1985
16 A unionist MP on the Anglo-Irish Agreement
17 The UDAs analysis of the conflict
18 John Hume criticises Sinn Féin
19 An SLDP view of republicans
20 Peter Brookes Whitbread Speech
21 The TUAS Document
22 Gerry Adams on demands for IRA decommissioning
23 The Mitchell Principles
24 Tony Blair reassures unionists
25 The Good Friday Agreement
26 The Alliance Party sets out its principles for a settlement
27 Loyalists clash: the DUP and the PUP
28 David Trimble on peacemaking, Nobel Peace Prize Speech
29 Tony Blairs Belfast Harbour Speech
30 Tony Blairs scepticism that the DUP want power-sharing
31 Ian Paisley declares he will not share power with republicans
Guide to further reading
References
Index