Evaluate to what extent the competing ideologies in 20th century Ireland could cause conflict.
Firstly, contrasting ideologies are likely to cause conflict due to the differing nature of their key features. A key factor still contributing to the tension prevailing in Ireland today is the contrasting placement of loyalty between Unionists and Nationalists. Ulster Unionist, who comprise almost exclusively of Protestants, place their loyalty to the British government and have demonstrated their loyalty and belief that Northern Ireland should re, a part of Great Britain through the signing of the Ulster Covenant in 1912 and consequent strike in retaliation of the Sunningdale agreement in 1973. The other ideology that exists mainly, but not exclusively …show more content…
Ireland has always been a country with strong religious links, primary catholicism however in the 16th century, Henry VIII was declared head of the Church of Ireland and protestantism was also introduced. As English settlers came into plantations in Ireland, claimed land, forced the native Irish to work hard labour all the whilst calling themselves Protestants, the Catholic Irishmen who through their eyes had watched their land invaded, developed prejudices against the protestant population of Ireland that still exist today. As a consequence of these prejudices many racially motivated attacks have been carried out in modern day Ireland and huge divides still exist between Catholic and Protestant communities in Ireland, an example being the peace walls that stretch between Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. As Unionists are Protestant due to their English descendancy and Nationalists primarily Catholics the Religious tensions that existed long before the terms Unionist and Nationalist continue to impact on and create tension in …show more content…
Both Irish Nationalism and Ulster Unionism had extreme offshoots of their communities that promoted a more violent method of attaining the result they wanted for Ireland, named respectively Irish Republicanism and Ulster Loyalism. These more radical groups formed terrorist organisations such as the IRA for Irish Republicans and the UVF for Ulster Loyalists. Both the IRA and the UVF remain guilty of mass murders, bombing and shootings whilst the groups frequently clashed on the streets of Ireland during period known as The Troubles (1969-1998). Each group used both political and military tactics in attempts to wound or defeat the rival organisation whose ideology contrasted their own. The consequent hostile and secretive nature Ireland adopted and the transformation of the once quite streets into an urban war zone only encouraged Irish people to choose sides in the terrorist war and encouraged the next generation to take up arms and engage in the conflict they had grown up in. This only led to a continuation in the violence between conflicting Irish ideologies and ensured that the relationships between the two could never fully recover due to the sheer amount of casualties sustained by each side during the
Firstly, contrasting ideologies are likely to cause conflict due to the differing nature of their key features. A key factor still contributing to the tension prevailing in Ireland today is the contrasting placement of loyalty between Unionists and Nationalists. Ulster Unionist, who comprise almost exclusively of Protestants, place their loyalty to the British government and have demonstrated their loyalty and belief that Northern Ireland should re, a part of Great Britain through the signing of the Ulster Covenant in 1912 and consequent strike in retaliation of the Sunningdale agreement in 1973. The other ideology that exists mainly, but not exclusively …show more content…
Ireland has always been a country with strong religious links, primary catholicism however in the 16th century, Henry VIII was declared head of the Church of Ireland and protestantism was also introduced. As English settlers came into plantations in Ireland, claimed land, forced the native Irish to work hard labour all the whilst calling themselves Protestants, the Catholic Irishmen who through their eyes had watched their land invaded, developed prejudices against the protestant population of Ireland that still exist today. As a consequence of these prejudices many racially motivated attacks have been carried out in modern day Ireland and huge divides still exist between Catholic and Protestant communities in Ireland, an example being the peace walls that stretch between Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland. As Unionists are Protestant due to their English descendancy and Nationalists primarily Catholics the Religious tensions that existed long before the terms Unionist and Nationalist continue to impact on and create tension in …show more content…
Both Irish Nationalism and Ulster Unionism had extreme offshoots of their communities that promoted a more violent method of attaining the result they wanted for Ireland, named respectively Irish Republicanism and Ulster Loyalism. These more radical groups formed terrorist organisations such as the IRA for Irish Republicans and the UVF for Ulster Loyalists. Both the IRA and the UVF remain guilty of mass murders, bombing and shootings whilst the groups frequently clashed on the streets of Ireland during period known as The Troubles (1969-1998). Each group used both political and military tactics in attempts to wound or defeat the rival organisation whose ideology contrasted their own. The consequent hostile and secretive nature Ireland adopted and the transformation of the once quite streets into an urban war zone only encouraged Irish people to choose sides in the terrorist war and encouraged the next generation to take up arms and engage in the conflict they had grown up in. This only led to a continuation in the violence between conflicting Irish ideologies and ensured that the relationships between the two could never fully recover due to the sheer amount of casualties sustained by each side during the