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Historical Investigation Essay task the impact of the design from 1969 1982 on the individual retirement account/Sinn Fein and their development into a momentous political furiousness in Federal IrelandAssess the impact of the period from 1969 1982 on the wrath/Sinn Fein and their development into a significant political force in Yankee IrelandDuring the period from 1969-1982 both the angriness and Sinn Fein at a lower preparewent significant change. Sinn Fein moved from a fringe situation, in the flag-waving(a) movement of Federal Ireland, to a dominant political position. During a time of intense effect in the region an internal discussion was taking place, deliberating on the value of armed resistance versus political engagement. The i musss that rosiness out of this transformed the movement and laid the basis for the central role it would play in the ultimate Good Fri daylight Agreement of 1998. The re-emergence of the nationalist movement led to the rise an d resurrection of groups more(prenominal) as the individual retirement account. Naturall(a)y this caused ofttimes tension, and incidences of violence began to rise. Acts of exceptional testify showed the incomparable agency of politics over violence and led to foreign recognition of the issue. Ultimately Sinn Fein developed into iodine of the most big businessmanful political forces in northerly Ireland.after geezerhood in the dark the nationalist movement began to rapidly gain momentum when the Belfast Troubles began in 1969. The wrath had been deeply divided since 1921 when Dail Eireann chose to ratify the Anglo- Irish treaty. The treaty established the autonomous Irish supernumerary State whilst the province of Ulster remained under the direct control of the United Kingdom. Despite the fact that IRA instalment Michael Collins had played a role in writing the treaty in that respect was still a major difference of opinion among members of the IRA.1 They were divide d between those who were for the establishment of the Free State and those who believed it was outlawed and misbranded. The Split over the treaty led to the Irish Civil War from 1922-3. M both of the opposing leadership had been close fri closes and comrades during the Irish War of Independence. The civil warfare split the IRA and this rift would continue to patronize Irish politics for galore(postnominal) a(prenominal) years to answer.In the 1960s the IRA was further marginalised as it came under the influence of left wing thinkers. This caused a split between the factions of the IRA based in capital of Ireland and Belfast.2 In 1969 the wounds of old were once stirred again when Yankee Ireland was rocked by bloody sectarian saturnalia. The bloodiest rioting was in Belfast where seven people were killed and hundreds injured.3 Violence escalated sharply after these events and new paramilitary groups came into populace on either side of the dispute. The probationary IRA s tickd an upsurge in membership. It was from here that The Troubles, one of the most infamous periods in Irish history began.The violence was characterised by armed campaigns of paramilitary groups. engagement hit the streets and many innocent people were often attacked. Alongside the violence there was deadlock between the major political parties of Northern Ireland over how the province would be administered and governed. 1972 saw an explosion of political violence in Northern Ireland in which many people lost their lives. The nationalist community saw the Provisional IRA as their defenders, who began an armed campaign in reaction to stalwart provoked violence. During this period the political ships company Sinn Fein had no interest in electoral politics.4 They voiced the need for military opposition to British tower in Northern Ireland. They gained control of the Republican movement and began to focus on flooding nationalist propaganda end-to-end Northern Ireland.Membership began to skyrocket as anti-British sentiment ran rife. The Republican political party Sinn Fein built the foundations for a movement which in ten years would expand to have branches in every town in Ireland.Atrocities by loyalists and British forces themselves were used to justify the IRA as a movement and inspired many to stand up and fight for the cause they all believed in. On 30 January 19725 in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland border, by chance one of the largest single atrocities of the Troubles period occurred. During a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in the bogside area of the city members of the 1st Battalion of the British Parachute regiment opened fire on many unarmed protestors. Twenty seven people are k flatn to have been shot and cardinal of those were killed with at least five of the latter confirmed as being shot in the back.6 Witnesses, including bystanders and British journalists, testify that all those shot appeared to be unarmed. Many individ ual atrocities occurred that day witnessed by hundreds of people. core witness Michael McCallion testified that A fellow came out with a white flag, no sooner had he do this when the middle of three British soldiers pulled the trigger and shot him through the head.I have witnessed this as God is my justness and I say that it was cold blooded murder.7 Testimonies such as this confirm the extreme acts of violence the British committed unnecessarily on that day. One paratrooper who gave evidence testified that they were told by an officer to expect a gunfight and we want some kills.8The reason for the uproar over such killings was the British soldiers were essentially non an occupying force but a measure of peace between nationalist and loyalist paramilitary groups. As Catholic Bishop of Derry Edward Daly commented What really made blinking(a) sunlight so obscene was the fact that afterwards at the highest level British justice justified it.9 Acts such as this by official Britis h forces reaffirmed the vox populi of many that the British Government was still the real enemy and behind the problems that continued in Northern Ireland. This justified the cause of the nationalist movement and subsequently the IRA and Sinn Fein as well. Both organisations had now developed a strong next throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. Whilst such occurrences did cause much anguish and pain they proved useful to both the IRA and Sinn Fein in acquiring widespread support for the movement.Sinn Fein and the IRA were not officially linked but both strived for the same goal. The Provisional Irish Republican force was a paramilitary organisation that considered itself a direct continuation of the IRA that had fought in the Irish war of Independence.10 Its stated objective was to end British rule in Ireland and withdraw Northern Irelands condition as part of the United Kingdom. The Provisionals advocated for armed defence of Catholic communities in the north and an of fensive campaign to end British rule. As the violence in Northern Ireland steadily increased the IRA began to call for a more aggressive campaign against British loyalists. Sinn Fein was a political party of the Republican movement. It was formed in 1970 but has traces back to the original party founded in 1905.11 The party is believed to be directly associated with the IRA. Both Sinn Fein and the IRA played different but converging roles in the war for liberation.Whilst the movements were not officially linked it was widely thought that they were different faces of the same movement. In 2005 the British Government stated We had always said all the way through that we believed the IRA and Sinn Fein were inextricably linked and that had obvious implications at leadership level.12 Throughout the ahead of time seventies there was much internal argument between factions of the IRA and Sinn Fein over whether their movements primary role should chiefly military or political, although bo th groups viewed Britain as a colonial occupier and therefore viewed the political process as illegal. Until 1973 Sinn Fein had little interest in politics as the party was still deemed illegal by the British Government.Political activity began in 1973 when Sinn Fein opened the Republican press centre on Falls Road. In 1973 the first attempt at negotiations to resolve the situation led to the Sunningdale Agreement, which devised a power sharing system in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Although this did no include Sinn Fein and quickly collapsed under pressure from loyalist ten-strikes.13 In May 1974 British secretary of State Merlyn Rees legalised Sinn Fein as a political party.14 This was perhaps the etymon of tacit recognition by the British Government that negotiations were only meaningful if they were directly with the IRA. Whilst local politicians such as John Hume, of the Nationalist Party, were respected they did not command enough power to have any effect. mystic meetings b etween Provisional IRA leaders Ruairi OBradaigh and Billy McKee with sneaking(a)ary of State for Northern Ireland Merlyn Rees resulted in a ceasefire which began in February 1975.15 The truce proved to be disastrous for the IRA leading to infiltration by many British informers into their ranks. After a build up of tensions and a series of sectarian killings the ceasefire broke down in January 1976.16 It was clear that the original aims of the IRA leadership for a quick military triumph were receding. It was acts of violence by British authorities that justified the military side of the movement and ensured tensions would continue for years to come.As Sinn Fein began to move into the political process so did many former revolutionaries and IRA members. One such person was Gerry Adams after being in prison for alleged IRA membership17 he glum himself in a new direction a moved towards the political process. In 1978 he was elected as the vice president of Sinn Fein. This most likel y came as a result of the realisation by many senior figures that it was becoming more and more unlikely that a military victory could be achieved. Whilst significant events such as Bloody Sunday lead to anti-British sentiment to sky rocket many turned away from violence and embraced the political system.Protests by a number of imprisoned IRA members in unyielding Kesh gaol showed the power of political tactics, leading to the dominance of Sinn Fein as a political force. The 1981 hunger strike was the climax of a five year protest by Republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest originally began in 197618 when the British Government removed its special category status for convicted paramilitary prisoners. This status had provided them with Prisoner of War privileges as specified in the Geneva Convention.19 Prisoners did not have to wear prison uniforms, do prison work and were allowed to be housed within their own paramilitary factions. They were also entitled to cope wit h extra food parcels and have extra visits. When these rights were removed by the British Government, as recommended by the Gardiner Committee20, the prisoners began a protest to gain them back. It started with a blanket protest in which prisoners refused to wear uniforms but instead disguised themselves in prison blankets they stated that they were not criminals but political prisoners.In 197821 the dispute escalated into a grimy protest in which prisoners refused to wash and covered their cell walls with excrement. In 1980 the first hunger strike took place but to no avail ending after 53 days.22 The second strike in 1981 is perhaps one of the best know instances of protest throughout the campaign. The strike was lead by former IRA Officer Commanding in the prison, Bobby littoral zone.23 At the beginning of the strike there was little progress and it didnt receive much outside support. But after five days the strike received a much needed boost the Independent Republican MP for Fermanagh and in the south Tyrone died and a by-election was called to appoint his replacement. It was decided that Bobby Sands would stand against the Ulster Unionist Party candidate Harry West.24 On 9 April 1981 Sands won a narrow victory and was elected to the British House of Commons.25 The victory attracted worldwide attention and thousands of media personnel descended on Belfast. On the sixty sixth day of the hunger strikes, May 5, Sands died causing riots across Northern Ireland.One hundred thousand people lined the route of his funeral a few days later.26 In the weeks after Sands death three more hunger strikers died,27 and another by-election had to be held for the seat of Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Due to the fact that the British Government had rushed through the Representation of the People Act,28 which meant prisoners serving more than one year could not run for parliament, so Sands election agent Owen Carron had to run instead. He haveed a similar victory gaining a larger percentage of the votes.The success of hunger strike created a firm platform for Irish republicanism and paved the way for the formal entry of Sinn Fein into electoral politics the following year. It was also around this period that the British Government began reforming its policies in relation to the IRA and Sinn Fein. They now viewed Sinn Fein as a legitimate political movement who would be included in official negotiations. The achievements of the hunger strikers proved the power of political activism as opposed to violence they also exposed the falseness of the British Governments claim that the Republican movement had no support.The events of 1969-82 transformed the Republican movement from a violence orientated force to a significant political force. As Sinn Fein began to grow as a political force the IRA slowly, and with considerable internal difficulties, changed its ways. This eventually paved the way for an official ceasefire in 1994. Their accordance to decommiss ion their weapons meant that Sinn Fein was allowed to come to the negotiation table and play a significant role in the Good Friday agreement of 1998.That agreement resulted in a devolved power sharing structure of self government for Northern Ireland, whilst it still remained within the United Kingdom.29 In 2007 Martin McGuiness of Sinn Fein was appointed deputy first minister and held equal power alongside Ian Paisely of the DUP in the Northern Ireland Assembly Government.30 From the split in the nationalist movement in 1969 to its reemergence throughout the seventies, alongside the IRA, there was much change. Events such as Bloody Sunday increased the military overtone of the movement but ultimately peaceful political power prevailed. Acts such as the 1981 hunger strike proved the power of political protest as compared to violence. Ultimately Sinn Fein grew into a legitimate political party and as of 2009 they became the largest party in Northern Ireland following European Parliam entary elections.31_______________________________________________________BibliographyLiterary SourcesEnglish, Richard (2003), Armed Struggle The story of the IRA, go Books, Stuttgart, Germany________________________________________________________________________Geraghty, Tony (2000), The Irish War The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and British Intelligence, The Johns Hopkins University stuff, Maryland, USA________________________________________________________________________Hastings, Max (1970), Ulster 1969 The interlocking for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland, Victor Gollancz LTD, London, United Kingdom________________________________________________________________________McEvoy, Kieran (2001), Paramilitary Imprisonment in Northern Ireland Resistance, Management, and Release, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom________________________________________________________________________Moloney, Ed (2002), A Secret biography of the IRA, Penguin Books, New Jersey, USA________________________________________________________________________Mullan, Don (1997), eyewitness Bloody Sunday The Truth, Wolfhound Press, Dublin, Ireland________________________________________________________________________OBrien, Brendan (1995), the Long War, the IRA and Sinn Fein, Syracuse University Press, New York, USA________________________________________________________________________Electronic SourcesBBC (2009), on this day 9 Decmeber1973 (online), BBC, London, United Kingdom. getable from http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/celestial latitude/9/newsid_2536000/2536767.stm (Accessed 26 July 2009)________________________________________________________________________BBC (2009), Profile Martin McGuinness (online), BBC, London, United Kingdom. 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Available from http//cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/bsunday/mcclean.htm (Accessed 28 July 2009)________________________________________________________________________National Archives of Ireland (no date), Documents on Irish unknown Policy serial publication text of the Anglo-Ir ish Treaty (online), Irish Government, Dublin, Ireland, Available from http//www.nationalarchives.ie/topics/anglo_irish/dfaexhib2.html (Accessed 1 August 2009)________________________________________________________________________ ancient Ministers Office (2005), Briefing from the Prime Ministers Official Spokesman on Anti Terror Law, President Bush/EU, Foreign Doctors in NHS, Hunting and Northern Ireland (online), British Government, London, United Kingdom, Available from http//www.number10.gov.uk/Page7148 (Accessed 29 July 20090________________________________________________________________________Sinn Fein Official wind vanesite (2009), account statement made Sinn Fein is now the largest party in the six counties (online), Belfast, United Kingdom, Available fromhttp//www.sinnfein.ie/contents/16580 (Accessed 29 July 2009)________________________________________________________________________University College Cork (2009), Multitext project in Irish History Movements for Pol itical and Social Reform, 1870 1914 (online), University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, Available from http//multitext.ucc.ie/d/Ireland_politics__administration_1870-191412TheFirstSinnFeacuteinParty (Accessed 25 July 2009)________________________________________________________________________1 National Archives of Ireland, Documents on Irish Foreign Policy Series text of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, n.d, http//www.nationalarchives.ie/topics/anglo_irish/dfaexhib2.html (1 August 2009)2 Moloney, Ed (2002), A Secret History of the IRA, Penguin Books. p. 2463 English, Richard (2003), Armed Struggle The History of the IRA, Pan Books. p. 1364 OBrien, Brendan, the Long War, the IRA and Sinn Fein (1995)5 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA. p. 806 McClean, Raymond, The Road to Bloody Sunday Extracts, 1997, http//cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/bsunday/mcclean.htm (28 July 2009)7 Mullan, Don, Eyewitness Bloody Sunday The Truth, Wolfhound Press8 Geraghty, Tony, The Irish War The Hidden Conflict Betw een the IRA and British Intelligence, unknown p. 659 Mullan, Don, Eyewitness Bloody Sunday The Truth10 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA. p. 43211 University College Cork, Multitext project in Irish History Movements for Political and Social Reform, 1870 1914, 2009, http//multitext.ucc.ie/d/Ireland_politics__administration_1870-191412TheFirstSinnFeacuteinParty (25 July 2009)12 Prime Ministers Office, Briefing from the Prime Ministers Official Spokesman on Anti Terror Law, President Bush/EU, Foreign Doctors in NHS, Hunting and Northern Ireland, 21 February 2005, http//www.number10.gov.uk/Page714813 BBC, On this day 9 Decmeber1973, 2009, http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/9/newsid_2536000/2536767.stm (26 July 2009)14 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA15 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA16 English, Richard, Armed Struggle The History of the IRA, p. 13617 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA p. 140.18 McClean, Raymond, The Road to Blo ody Sunday Extracts19 McEvoy, Kieran, Paramilitary Imprisonment in Northern Ireland Resistance, Management, and Release, Oxford University Press20 Lord Gardiner, Report of a Committee to consider, in the context of civil liberties and human rights, measures to deal with terrorism in Northern Ireland Extract, 1975, http//cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/gardiner.htm1 (July 28 2009)21 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict, 2009, http//cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch76.htm (27 July 2009)22 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict23 English, Richard, Armed Struggle The History of the IRA p. 19624 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA p. 21125 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict26 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict27 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict28 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict29 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict30 BBC, Profile Martin McGuinness, 2009, http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/13033 55.stm (29 July 2009)31 Sinn Fein Online, History made Sinn Fein is now the largest party in the six counties, 2009, http//www.sinnfein.ie/contents/16580 (29 July 2009)