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History Quiz - Northern Ireland: 1968-98 - Attempts At Agreement 1996-1998 (Questions)

This quiz looks at how multi party talks in the late 1990s tried to end violence in Northern Ireland and led towards the Good Friday Agreement.

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Fascinating Fact:

In 1996 multi party talks began in Belfast, chaired by US Senator George Mitchell. Some key parties linked to paramilitaries could only join if they accepted peaceful methods.

In GCSE History, this part of the Northern Ireland course looks at negotiations between 1996 and 1998. You study the Mitchell principles, multi party talks, and how compromises created the Good Friday Agreement.

Key Terms

  • Good Friday Agreement: A 1998 peace deal that set up new political institutions and confirmed that any change in Northern Ireland’s status needed majority consent.
  • Devolution: When the United Kingdom parliament gives some law making powers to a regional assembly, such as the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.
  • Decommissioning: The supervised handing over or destruction of weapons held by paramilitary groups as part of a peace process.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What was the main purpose of the Good Friday Agreement?

The Good Friday Agreement aimed to end large scale violence by creating shared government in Northern Ireland, recognising different identities and confirming that any future change required majority support.

Why did parties linked to paramilitaries have to accept peaceful methods?

Parties linked to paramilitaries had to accept peaceful methods so that negotiations were genuinely democratic. They had to support ceasefires and renounce violence to take part in the talks.

How did the 1998 referendums support the peace process?

In 1998 voters in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland approved the agreement in separate referendums, showing strong public backing and giving the new institutions greater legitimacy.

Try These Related Quizzes

1. Which Protestant organisation caused inter-communal tension to rise in 1996 by becoming involved in violence at Drumcree? They insisted on marching along the Garvaghy Road and so through a Roman Catholic housing estate. The police tried to keep the two groups apart, but violence ensued.
[ ] The Orange Order
[ ] The Vanguard Party
[ ] The Free Presbyterian Church
[ ] The Alliance Party
2. Which Catholic US democrat senator for Massachusetts supported the US president during the 1990's in his efforts to bring the political wing of the IRA to the negotiating table?
[ ] John Kerry
[ ] Edward Kennedy
[ ] Wayne Morse
[ ] Hubert Humphrey
3. Which voting method was used in the elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly set up under the Good Friday Agreement?
[ ] The "First Past the Post" system
[ ] An electoral college
[ ] Proportional Representation
[ ] Compulsory voting using the "List System"
4. Which of the following four departments of government remained with London following the 1998 deal?
[ ] Health
[ ] Education
[ ] Trade
[ ] Defence
5. Under the 1998 agreement the government of the Irish Republic agreed to recommend the abolition of Articles 2 and 3 in their constitution - subject to a referendum among the Republic's electorate. What did these articles state?
[ ] That the Republic was a neutral state
[ ] That the Republic claimed the whole island of Ireland as its territory
[ ] That the Roman Catholic religion was the established religion in all 32 Irish counties
[ ] That no member of the British armed forces could enter the Republic's territory under any circumstances
6. Which Conservative Roman Catholic politician was asked to recommend changes to policing in Northern Ireland under the terms of the 1998 agreement?
[ ] John Patten
[ ] Chris Patten
[ ] Iain Duncan-Smith
[ ] Norman St. John Stevas
7. Which moderate Unionist politician became First Minister in the Northern Ireland government from 1998?
[ ] Sir Reg Impey
[ ] David Trimble
[ ] Ian Paisley, Junior
[ ] William McCrae
8. Which long-serving Catholic politician in Northern Ireland shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998?
[ ] Gerry Fitt
[ ] Seamus Mallon
[ ] John Hume
[ ] Liam Docherty
9. The terms of the 1998 treaty were put to the two electorates (the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland) in separate referenda. What was the vote in favour in the North?
[ ] 55%
[ ] 95%
[ ] 71%
[ ] 94%
10. Not all republican paramilitaries accepted the terms of 1998. In 1998 dissident republicans detonated a huge bomb which caused considerable loss of life. In which Northern Irish town did this device go off?
[ ] Enniskillen
[ ] Omagh
[ ] Ballymena
[ ] Coleraine

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Changing relations: Northern Ireland and its neighbours, 1965-98

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History Quiz - Northern Ireland: 1968-98 - Attempts At Agreement 1996-1998 (Answers)
1. Which Protestant organisation caused inter-communal tension to rise in 1996 by becoming involved in violence at Drumcree? They insisted on marching along the Garvaghy Road and so through a Roman Catholic housing estate. The police tried to keep the two groups apart, but violence ensued.
[x] The Orange Order
[ ] The Vanguard Party
[ ] The Free Presbyterian Church
[ ] The Alliance Party
The march followed a traditional route, and the marchers were loth to change it. Clearly the whole question of parades would need to be examined. During the so-called "Marching Season" during July and August both communities undertook time-honoured parades
2. Which Catholic US democrat senator for Massachusetts supported the US president during the 1990's in his efforts to bring the political wing of the IRA to the negotiating table?
[ ] John Kerry
[x] Edward Kennedy
[ ] Wayne Morse
[ ] Hubert Humphrey
Pressure from a Roman Catholic senator, who represented a state with a large proportion of Irish-Americans, was most useful in persuading Republican paramilitaries to join the talks in 1998, and to sign up to the eventual agreement
3. Which voting method was used in the elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly set up under the Good Friday Agreement?
[ ] The "First Past the Post" system
[ ] An electoral college
[x] Proportional Representation
[ ] Compulsory voting using the "List System"
Those who framed the new constitution were keen to be fair, and - at the same time - to end up with an effective government
4. Which of the following four departments of government remained with London following the 1998 deal?
[ ] Health
[ ] Education
[ ] Trade
[x] Defence
Northern Ireland did not become a totally independent state - certain key powers were retained by Westminster
5. Under the 1998 agreement the government of the Irish Republic agreed to recommend the abolition of Articles 2 and 3 in their constitution - subject to a referendum among the Republic's electorate. What did these articles state?
[ ] That the Republic was a neutral state
[x] That the Republic claimed the whole island of Ireland as its territory
[ ] That the Roman Catholic religion was the established religion in all 32 Irish counties
[ ] That no member of the British armed forces could enter the Republic's territory under any circumstances
If these two articles could be removed, Protestants in the North were more likely to vote in favour of the 1998 agreement in their own referendum
6. Which Conservative Roman Catholic politician was asked to recommend changes to policing in Northern Ireland under the terms of the 1998 agreement?
[ ] John Patten
[x] Chris Patten
[ ] Iain Duncan-Smith
[ ] Norman St. John Stevas
The title, "Royal Ulster Constabulary", for the Northern Ireland police force and its cap badge were disliked by the Catholic minority. Moreover, the overwhelming number of police officers were still Protestants
7. Which moderate Unionist politician became First Minister in the Northern Ireland government from 1998?
[ ] Sir Reg Impey
[x] David Trimble
[ ] Ian Paisley, Junior
[ ] William McCrae
The first elections under the constitution set up in 1998 produced a coalition government, formed of moderate Protestant Unionists and moderate Catholic Nationalists
8. Which long-serving Catholic politician in Northern Ireland shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998?
[ ] Gerry Fitt
[ ] Seamus Mallon
[x] John Hume
[ ] Liam Docherty
A previous Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded in the 1970's to the two leaders of the "Peace People": one Catholic and one Protestant. This initiative had ultimately failed, but the 1998 winners seemed more likely to succeed
9. The terms of the 1998 treaty were put to the two electorates (the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland) in separate referenda. What was the vote in favour in the North?
[ ] 55%
[ ] 95%
[x] 71%
[ ] 94%
It was important for the success of the Good Friday Agreement that it should be accepted in the North by a majority of Protestants and by a majority of Catholics. It was
10. Not all republican paramilitaries accepted the terms of 1998. In 1998 dissident republicans detonated a huge bomb which caused considerable loss of life. In which Northern Irish town did this device go off?
[ ] Enniskillen
[x] Omagh
[ ] Ballymena
[ ] Coleraine
The Peace Process survived this outrage, but rogue republicans still posed a threat to security
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