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Harland and Wolff was a major employer in Belfast's shipyards - though predominantly of Protestants.

Northern Ireland: 1968-98 - Initial Divisions And Grievances

Discover how long-standing religious, political and economic divisions in Northern Ireland created tension, discrimination and conflict, and test how well you understand this GCSE History topic.

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Fascinating Fact:

Catholics frequently faced discrimination in employment. Better paid and more secure jobs were often given to Protestants.

In GCSE History, this topic looks at divisions in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s. You study how religion, politics, housing, voting and policing created grievances that helped spark civil rights campaigns and later conflict.

Key Terms

Unionist: Someone, usually Protestant, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom.
Nationalist: Someone, usually Catholic, who wanted a united Ireland independent from British rule.
Civil Rights Movement: Groups in Northern Ireland that campaigned for fair housing, voting and jobs, and an end to discrimination against Catholics.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What were the main grievances of Catholics in Northern Ireland in 1968?

Many Catholics complained about unfair housing allocation, bias in local elections, unequal access to jobs and discrimination by parts of the police and government, which they believed favoured Protestants.

How did discrimination in voting affect politics in Northern Ireland?

In some areas only ratepayers could vote and some business owners had extra votes. This system often gave Protestants more political power, even where Catholics were close to or over half the population.

Why did civil rights marches begin in Northern Ireland?

Civil rights marches began because campaigners wanted equal voting rights, fair access to housing and jobs, and an end to discriminatory practices by local councils and the police in Northern Ireland.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

The main police force (the RUC) was supplemented by a small elite squad trained for dealing with public disorder, and enjoying a reputation for brutality. It also had hardly any Catholics in its ranks. What was its name?

The Special Patrol Group

The "B" Specials

The Special Branch

"A" Company

This was a major Catholic grievance. They saw this force as sectarian and violent

2 .

The Harland and Wolff factory in East Belfast was a major employer that hired almost entirely Protestant workers. What did the factory make?

Clothing

Motor Vehicles

Ships

Railway locomotives

This was a vital employer for the Province's economy, but it was in the grip of East Belfast's Unionist community

3 .

Before the arrival of British troops later in 1969, the security forces in Northern Ireland used a method of crowd control for the first time ever in the UK. What was this method?

Plastic bullets

Rubber bullets

Water cannon

CS gas

Disorder in the Province was getting badly out of hand in 1969, and the locally-controlled government felt that strong measures were needed

4 .

The civil rights activist, Austin Currie, staged a well publicised sit-in in a large empty house. What point was he trying to make?

That there was ample empty council housing available, but Catholics were prevented from becoming tenants of Protestant-controlled councils

That there were many large family homes for sale, but that Catholics faced discrimination from estate agents

That he himself was a man of means, who could afford a large home

That there was a glut of housing, both for sale and rent

Discrimination was a fact of life in post-war Northern Ireland. Catholics expected unequal treatment in education, housing, jobs, voting rights and other areas

5 .

All cities in the Province were segregated into Catholic and Protestant areas. Which of the following areas was the main working-class Catholic zone in West Central Belfast?

Andersonstown

The Shankill Road

The Divis Flats

The Falls Road

This segregation meant that people on one side of the divide rarely met people from the other

6 .

A non-sectarian pressure group called NICRA began, in the late 1960s, to agitate for civil rights for all citizens of Northern Ireland. What did NICRA stand for?

Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association

Northern Ireland Citizens' Rights Association

Northern Ireland Constitutional Rights Association

Northern Ireland Catholic Rights Association

This body organised regular marches. It was often the victim of violence, but never advocated violence itself

7 .

A new more militant group (People's Democracy) emerged, inspired by the events of 1968 in continental Europe and the Civil Rights movement in the United States. Which black American leader did they admire and try to emulate?

Malcom X

Stokely Carmichael

Ralph Abernathy

Martin Luther King

PD were keen on long marches, like those undertaken by the Civil Rights movement in the USA, like, for example, the one in Alabama from Selma to Montgomery

8 .

Later in 1969 a young Catholic girl was elected as a Westminster MP. At 21 she was the youngest MP, and she was briefly the darling of the British media. Eventually she became a strong supporter of the IRA. Who was she?

Maoire Drumm

Bernadette Devlin/McAliskey

Pat Hume

Evelyn Glenholmes

A graduate of Queen's University Belfast, she was a shrill and articulate defender of the minority Catholic community, who soon made her mark in the Commons

9 .

What was the most obvious difference between state schools in Northern Ireland and those in mainland Britain?

The ones in the Province were fee-paying. On the mainland they were free

In Northern Ireland all state schools were either Catholic or Protestant. This was not the case on the mainland

In the Province all state secondary schools were selective - either grammars or secondary moderns (with an 11 plus exam at the age of 11). On the mainland the majority were fully comprehensive

In Northern Ireland school meals were free to all pupils. On the mainland there was a means test

In Northern Ireland the independent sector was smaller and less influential than on the mainland. Supporters of the state system there asserted that it produced better academic results than elsewhere

10 .

Which burly Unionist politician and preacher was an active opponent of the Civil Rights movement?

William Craig

William Faulkner

Ian Paisley

Lord Brookeborough

Protestants were frequently harangued by this man, determined never to "surrender" to Rome

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

Author: Edward Towne