Northern Ireland 1921 1969

Northern Ireland 1921 -1969

by

Enda

1921 1960

The history of Northern Ireland it seems, was due to begin with blood shed and so it transpired to be The Irish Republican Army started a campaign of violence in Northern Ireland even before partition became a reality in 1921. In a direct response to this, the Ulster Volunteer Force was revived once again and the new Northern Ireland began its history in sectarian bloodshed.

After this, Northern Ireland started to build its own economy with the help of aid from Great Britain. The economy suffered in the late 1920s when the worldwide recession began after the Wall Street Crash. Harland & Wolff, a large ship building company and huge employer in Northern Ireland, came under financial pressure and traditional industries such as linen making face new and difficult trading challenges, as good were being made cheaper in other parts of the world. Unemployment soared in Northern Ireland and in 1932 there were just over 70,000 unemployed people in Northern Ireland out of a population of around 1.3 million.

The Northern Ireland Government took some unpleasant political decisions such as cutting public sector pay by 10% and reducing state benefits. For the working classes this was devastating and both sides of the political divide in Northern Ireland held mass rallies. Nationalists and Unionists joined together when the government banned the rallies This resulted in a lot of rioting and violence. When gunshots were fired, the police responded in kind and killed 2 protestors. The government were forced to relent and the violence ended.

When the United Kingdom went to war against Hitler in World War Two, Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, also found itself at war. The South of Ireland with few military resources declared a neutral stance, with Eamonn de Valera the Irish Prime Minister, refusing to join in the war. Despite this official line from their government, many Irish people sympathised with the British and over 40,000 Irish joined the British army. The IRA saw the war distraction as an opportunity to oust the British from Northern Ireland and started collaborating with the Germans in 1940, mainly for gun running. The South of Ireland government cracked down very hard on this, as they did not want to anger the British and provoke a strategic invasion, at such an early stage in their own transition.

In April and May 1941, Belfast the capital of Northern Ireland became a victim of what was known as the Blitz. This was a tactic where the Germans began bombing cities throughout the United Kingdom, and the Germans considered Northern Ireland part of the United Kingdom. Many homes were flattened and fear gripped the small country. The Northern Ireland Government located at Stormont in Belfast believed their country was too far away for the Germans to bother with and as such were not prepared for any attacks. In April 1941, over several nights German bombers pounded both Belfast and Derry with hundreds of tonnes of explosives, killing 900 people, destroying thousands of buildings and making 10,000 people homeless. The lack of preparation contributed significantly to the death toll, especially the lack of air raid shelters. Fire brigades from Dundalk, Drogheda and Dublin assisted in the Blitz, despite the neutral stance of the Eire Government. Many people abandoned the two cities and fled out into the country.

After the war and through during the 1950s, the government in Westminster went about rebuilding their country and it was similar case for Northern Ireland. It was a quiet but relatively prosperous time and the Welfare State was introduced. This helped the overall standard of living for the poorest people in its society. Better housing was provided as a result of the Blitz having flattened many homes. The Health Service became free and unemployment benefits were introduced.

Problems that would later come to be the source of much protest were developing. In Northern Ireland at this time, the population was approximately 65% Protestant and 35% Catholic. However the reality was that Protestants held 94% of the top 740 civil servant posts, and favouritism was often given to Protestants when council housing was given out. This policy persisted all through the 1950s and 1960s.

In late 1955, the IRA regrouped and started a terrorist campaign in Northern Ireland. The IRA was short on weapons and many nationalists were rather apathetic to the unification cause, so this flurry ended in 1962.

It seemed that Northern Ireland, if its short history was anything to go by, was doomed to violence and trouble from the start.

www.northernirelandhistory.co.ukAuthor: Enda McLarnon

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Northern Ireland 1921 -1969