Northern Ireland Ethnic Conflict - Research Paper Example

Through the Ireland’s government act of 1920, the Island was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, a move that was opposed by some unionists and a majority of the nationalists. In addition, it became part of the Irish Free State that had been formed in the course of the Irish Free State Constitutional act of 1922 (O’Callagha), but afterward, the parliament of Northern Ireland picked out of the Irish Free State through an address to the king. This request having been granted, Northern Ireland received self-governing under the United Kingdom; a move that sparked sporadic violence in the region as some groups were opposed to the partitioning of Ireland.

Following the state of tensions in the region, there were across boarder migrations with Protestants moving northwards while Catholics moved southwards to the Free State. Some of the Northern Catholic Nationalists who remained in Northern Ireland felt isolated from the state after having failed to join the new police force in the Northern Ireland, which was largely constituted by the Unionist Protestants. Successive Unionist Prime ministers’ reigns between 1920s and 1970s saw the Catholic minorities who formed up the Nationalists being oppressed through discriminatory policies.

For instance, local government elections were often rigged in favor of the Unionist candidates even in areas with a majority of the Nationalist Catholics. Employment opportunities were often granted in favor of the Unionists/Protestants especially in high-ranking influential positions in the government of Northern Ireland. This led to the decline in the Northern Ireland Nationalists population due to the tough living conditions they were subjected to. These discriminatory policies against the Northern Ireland Nationalist Catholics and the Northern Ireland’s associations with the United Kingdom led to the conflict and troubles in the Northern Ireland that pitted the majority Northern Ireland Protestants/Unionists against the minority Roman Catholic Nationalists (Engelhart).

At this time in the crisis that was escalating into a war, the Irish Republican Army was formed to try to free the Northern Ireland from the British influence and domination of the unionists/Protestants. This armed force’s interim campaigns against the United Kingdom’s rule over Northern Ireland also wanted to spearhead the reunification of Ireland back to the former 32 state Irish Republic by restoring and strengthening its political boundaries (Mesev et. al. 874). The United Kingdom loyalist unionists in retaliation to the Irish Republican Army’s campaigns formed small military groups to fight against the IRA forces.

The Ulster Volunteer Force was then created in 1966, as a rejoinder to the Irish Republican Force, which was threatening the continued dominance of the Unionists control over Northern Ireland. The Ulster Volunteer Force was mainly pro British and United Kingdom’s relations and collaboration with Northern Ireland to the disdain of the Nationalists agenda through the IRA. The Ulster Volunteer Force was also fighting to reassert and further strengthen the Unionists control over Northern Ireland, which was declining due to the IRA campaigns.

This violence was made even prominent with the involvement of the United Kingdom State Controlled forces’ involvement in the disguise of restoring peace and calm