Nature: Sectarian violence marked by bombings, riots, and killings
Casualties: Approx. 3,600 dead, over 30,000 injured
Roots: Conflict between Catholic Ireland and Protestant England
Background
1921 Partition: Ireland gained independence, split into Catholic Irish Free State and Protestant-majority Northern Ireland, which remained under British rule.
Discrimination: Catholic communities in Northern Ireland faced unfair treatment by Protestant-controlled government and police.
Tensions Leading to the Troubles
Sectarian Lines: Catholic nationalists vs. Protestant loyalists divided communities.
1960s Civil Rights Movement: Inspired by the US civil rights movement, young Catholic nationalists sought to end anti-Catholic discrimination.
Key Events
1968: Police Charge Protestors in Derry
Date: October 5, 1968
Event: Protest against discriminatory housing policies
Outcome: Police charged protestors, captured on TV leading to public outrage, marking the start of the Troubles.
1969: Violence at Burntollet Bridge
Date: New Year's Day, 1969
Event: March inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s Selma march
Outcome: Loyalist attack on protestors at Burntollet Bridge, police inaction, compared to Selma march confrontation.
1969: Battle of the Bogside
Date: August 12, 1969
Event: Apprentice Boys parade sparked riots in Derry
Outcome: Called for British troops as local authorities failed to maintain order.
Bloody Sunday and Sectarian Violence
Date: January 30, 1972
Event: Catholic nationalist march against internment without trial.
Outcome: Military opened fire, 13 killed, sparking further violence.
Conclusion
Ending the Troubles: Officially ended with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, established political power-sharing and ended decades of violence.