Nordirlandskonflikten: Baggrund og 'The Troubles'

The Irish Republic became independence in 1922, but the Northern part of the island didn’t became a part of the new state. In the six northeastern estates was there majority there still wanted to be a part of the united kingdom, because the majority was protestants. The most Irishmen was Catholics, but in northern Ireland is many Scottish and English protestants invaded as the time have past. They didn’t wanted to be a minority in a United Ireland, there were dominated by the catholic church. Since 1922 Northern Ireland have been ruled by the protestant people. Religion is not the only thing there separates the two groups. There is also important social and economical difference, there is more poor people among the Catholics, but also more unemployment.

In Londonderry in august 1969 a large group of young Catholics started to throw rocks at the protestant demonstration, this was the beginning to three days of riots, that is called the battle of the bookside. There also have been trouble in other towns were the English government was forced to sent in the British army to avoid a civil war. In the start the British was considered as the Catholics protector, but after a short period many started to mean that it kept the protestants at the power. That gave the IRA the opportunity to recruit more members, and after the establishing of the Provisional IRA, there was into violence, soon came a lot of bloody confrontation. One of the most critical was “Bloody sunday” in 1972 were english soldiers killed 13 Catholics. After a big debate the English government decided to suspend the Nordic parlament and introduces a direct regime from London.