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“And We’ll Fight Them For 800 More”: Violence and Nationalism in Northern Ireland
Day, Hadley
Day, Hadley
Abstract
The Troubles was a period of sustained violence in Northern Ireland. This conflict, whose intensity has been compared to a war, began as a response to the 1921 Partition of Ireland, which separated the island of Ireland into two countries. In Northern Ireland, the Catholic community felt increasingly discriminated against by Protestant leaders and the British Government. This led to civil rights protests and violent clashes between all groups. The Troubles lasted for over 30 years and resulted in 3,720 deaths and over 47,000 injuries. This research examines death counts, election results, and community value surveys from different years of The Troubles to determine if republican nationalist sentiment increased following more turbulent periods of violence. Given that republican nationalist candidates were outspoken regarding violence enacted by the British Army and loyalist paramilitary groups (despite close links to the Irish Republican Army), the working hypothesis was that there would be a nationalistic response to sustained violence. Results suggest that the Catholic population in Northern Ireland was more likely to align with republican nationalism than Protestants, and the support for these ideas grew stronger as the total death toll rose over the conflict.
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2023-04-01
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Government