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Northern IrelandHistory

Unit 1 Section B: Changing Relations, Northern Ireland 1965 to 1998

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did civil rights marches escalate into violence and the deployment of British troops in 1969?

Escalation 1968 to 1969: the Derry march of October 1968, the Burntollet ambush of January 1969, the Battle of the Bogside, and the deployment of British troops in August 1969.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the escalation of the Troubles. Covers the Derry civil rights march of October 1968, the Burntollet Bridge ambush of January 1969, the Battle of the Bogside, and why British troops were deployed in August 1969.
13 min answer →

How did the 1981 hunger strikes and the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement change the conflict?

The hunger strikes and the Anglo-Irish Agreement: the 1981 hunger strikes and the rise of Sinn Fein, and the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985 and unionist opposition to it.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the 1980s. Covers the 1981 republican hunger strikes, the death of Bobby Sands, the rise of Sinn Fein into electoral politics, the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985, and the unionist campaign against it under the slogan Ulster Says No.
14 min answer →

How did internment and Bloody Sunday deepen the conflict and lead to the end of Stormont?

Internment, Bloody Sunday and direct rule: the introduction of internment in 1971, Bloody Sunday in January 1972, and the suspension of Stormont and introduction of direct rule in March 1972.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the deepening of the Troubles. Covers the introduction of internment without trial in August 1971, Bloody Sunday on 30 January 1972, and the suspension of the Stormont parliament and the introduction of direct rule from Westminster in March 1972.
14 min answer →

Why did the civil rights movement emerge under O'Neill, and why did his reforms fail to satisfy either side?

O'Neill and the civil rights movement: discrimination, Terence O'Neill's premiership and reforms, the founding of NICRA in 1967 and the campaign for civil rights.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the origins of the Troubles. Covers discrimination in Northern Ireland, Terence O'Neill's premiership and reforms from 1963, the founding of NICRA in 1967, the civil rights campaign and why O'Neill's reforms satisfied neither unionists nor nationalists.
14 min answer →

Why did the Sunningdale power-sharing experiment fail, and what did its collapse show?

Sunningdale and the Ulster Workers' Council strike: the power-sharing Executive and Council of Ireland of 1973, and the loyalist strike of 1974 that brought them down.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the failed power-sharing experiment. Covers the Sunningdale Agreement of December 1973, the power-sharing Executive, the Council of Ireland, and the Ulster Workers' Council strike of May 1974 that brought the Executive down.
13 min answer →

How did the peace process lead from the Downing Street Declaration to the Good Friday Agreement?

The peace process 1993 to 1998: the Downing Street Declaration of 1993, the paramilitary ceasefires of 1994, and the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement of 1998.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the peace process. Covers the Downing Street Declaration of 1993, the IRA and loyalist ceasefires of 1994, the multi-party talks, and the Good Friday or Belfast Agreement of 10 April 1998 with its institutions and the principle of consent.
14 min answer →