What Caused the Troubles - Northern Ireland

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During the 1960s the Catholic population of Northern Ireland were becoming sick of the discrimination they were facing. Inspired by the Civil Rights movements over in America, a newly educated generation of Catholics graduating from university as a result of the Welfare State set out to identify the problems and change their lives for the better. Their aims were modest, equality was all they were searching for, but it would turn out to be a long violent road before change occurred. One of the main problems was that of housing discrimination. Unionist control of local councils was helped by the property qualification. It meant you had to have a house to vote, with up to 6 votes being allowed for people with 6 or more houses. This had a big effect on gerrymandered areas such as Derry. For this reason, the Unionist councils began giving houses out based on religion, not need. These councils not only gave out houses unfairly, but also jobs. Soon protests sprung up all around Northern Ireland, especially in Derry. The NICRA was founded to try put an end to discrimination, but it was too late for peace.

By the late 1960’s the people of Derry had grown sick of all these forms of discrimination they’d endured. An Apprentice boys march on the 12 August kicked off a full blown riot after a few stones were thrown. After two hours the RUC, hated for their unfair violence against Catholics, charged into the Catholic area of the Bogside. They were repelled with stones and petrol bombs. For the people of Derry, the violence of the troubles had begun. They set up barricades throughout the Bogside, took up strategic points such as the Rossville Flats (10 stories high), and began largescale production of petrol bombs. Rioting continued for 2 days. To relieve the exhausted RUC Chichester Clarke called in the B-Specials, a 100% protestant force. This only made matters worse. Soon the violence spread, engulfing Belfast in violence. Rioting broke out in the Catholic areas of the Falls and Ardoyne. Four days of rioting followed, leaving seven people dead and 180 premises burnt out. Extreme measures were taken at this point with the British army arriving in Derry on the 14th of August and in Belfast the following day. This, for most, was the start of the troubles.

All in all, there were many factors that contributed to the initiation of the Troubles. Most problems began as religious and sectarian, and escalated over the years. Some were simply economic, with high unemployment rates leaving youths with time on their hands to stir trouble. The partition of Ireland was a difficult situation dealt with incorrectly, and resulted in 30 years of violence, killing over 3600 people and injuring countless more.