Anglo-Irish Relations in the Early Troubles: 1969-1972

In 1969 the once peaceful Catholic civil rights movement in Northern Ireland degenerated into widespread violence between the nationalist and unionist communities. The conflict, known as the Troubles, would last for thirty years.

The early years of the Troubles helped to define the nature of the conflict for years to come. This was the period in which unionism divided into moderate and extreme wings; the Provisional IRA emerged amidst the resurgence of violent republicanism; and British mili...