Unit 5 “The Explosion: The Civil Rights Movement, Dungannon, Londonderry/Derry 5 October 1968, People’s Democracy and Burntollet Bridge”

As you can tell from your readings to this point the temperature in Northern Ireland rose and the nation found itself moving inexorably towards some confrontation.  What that confrontation would be no one knew and the result of that confrontation was even more problematic.  But, as we have already seen the situation was became more and more polarized as every rally and counter-rally led to greater tension within the Northern Ireland government, between the Northern Ireland government and the British government and within and between both communities.  As the Civil Rights movement gained in popularity and confidence exerted even more pressure for reform, unease and resistance grew within O’Neill’s own party over the reforms and a growing fear among ordinary Protestants that Northern Ireland was going to be “sold-out” by the Labour Party to a United Ireland.

Read:

• A Summary of Civil Rights Movement at: http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/sum.htm

• Then go to:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ira/conflict/ Click on and read “Civil Rights.”
• Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/troubles/origins/nicivil.shtml -Click on the audio and video links to hear contemporary accounts of the Civil Right Movement.
• Chapter 3 in Provos
  • In this chapter you will come to an understanding of why the Civil Rights Movement pushed even more aggressively for change and how the actions of the police actually played a role this change.
• Chapter 4 in Loyalists
  • This chapter provides a very different view of the Civil Rights Movement and a clear understanding of how the Loyalists viewed the Civil Rights Movement.
• A summary of Burntollet Bridge: http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/pdmarch/sum.htm - There is a link to a 64 page booklet for further reading also.

Watch the following Videos:

• Co to Courseweb - Videos - Unit 7 - Descent into Violence - watch the videos dealing with October 1968.
• The Battle of the Bogside- pt. 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hQe6dBJSq4&feature=related
• The Battle of the Bogside - pt 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hQe6dBJSq4
• October 5, 1968 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuVmbkTDuHU and the nature of discrimination up through the Battle of the Bogside, including Burntollet Bridge.
• RTE video footage of Burntollet - this is good, but use for your own information.

Watch the documentary "The Patriot Game" a 1979 documentary.  Part 2 will be used in a later Section. 

Strongly Recommended: 

• Go to http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/mccann93.htm for an account by Eamonn McCann of the NICRA march of 5 October 1968. He was one of the young radicals of 1968 in Londonderry/Derry.  This account is interesting as you will gain an insight into the tactics of and why those in the People’s Democracy raised the deliberately raised the political temperature in Northern Ireland. 
• Northern Ireland Civil Rights - Web site dealing with the 40th Commemorations of the NICRA.
• Some Fine Day - A collection of essays dealing with the Civil Rights Movement in Derry.
• Chronology of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement and the People’s Democracy and http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/chron.htm
• RTE Website with videos and brief explanations of the events of 1968 and 1969

Study Questions:

1. Explain why 5 October 1968 is considered by many as the start of the “Troubles.”
2. Explain why ordinary Protestants, whose living conditions were as bad as ordinary Catholics, resented the Civil Rights movement? 
3. Explain Burntollet Bridge’s significance in the Civil Rights Movement and the start of the “Troubles?”
4. After Burntollet Bridge and Derry in October why would the Nationalist population lose faith in the ability of the state to protect it?
5. Explain why the role of the police and “B” Specials at Burntollet Bridge.
6. Why would many Unionists see the behavior of the marchers on the Long March between Belfast and Derry as “provocateurs?” 
7. Although it is not explicitly stated in any of the books, try to locate the escalating conflict in Northern Ireland in the larger framework of world events in the 1960s.

Terms, events and names to know from this Section:

• Special Powers Act
• Prevention of Terrorism Act - 1974
• Edward Carson
• The Ulster Covenant
• Easter Rising
• Irish Republican Army
• Partition
• Gerrymandering
• James Craig
• Sinn Fein
• Ulster Volunteer Force
• Ian Paisley
• Terrance O’Neill
• NICRA
• People’s Democracy
• 5 October 1968
• Burntollet Bridge at http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/pdmarch/sum.htm
• Bernadette Devlin
• B” Specials