Social Studies Topic: Northern Ireland Focus: Structured-Essay Writing Why was there conflict between the Protestants

and Catholics in Northern Ireland?

The Protestants were in conflict with the Catholics because of the difference in the political beliefs between them. The Protestants see themselves as British and wanted to remain part of United Kingdom. They were afraid that the union with the Republic of Ireland would mean that the Catholic Government would be intolerant of the Protestant beliefs. On the other hand, the Catholic saw themselves as Irish and wanted a union with the Republic of Ireland. They also resented the history of the English Conquest where they were killed or harshly treated by the Protestants.

As a result, loyalty to different countries made the Protestants and Catholics intolerant of each other, causing tension which would later result in the conflict between the two sides. The difference also contributes to the lack of identity which further prevents understanding and cooperation between the Protestants and Catholics, leading to more tension and conflict.

The Protestants were in conflict with the Catholics because of the lack of voting rights. Before 1969, only those who owned houses and businesses were entitled to vote in the local government elections. Each household was given 2 votes while companies were given more votes depending on the number of workers they had. As the protestants were richer, they have many companies and therefore, they got more votes. As a result, voting districts were drawn up to include a larger proportion of protestants.

Therefore, this was unfair to the poorer Catholics who did not own companies as they got less votes, which resulted them being unable to obtain any say in the government or gain any potential power, making them resentful of the Protestants and their ability to gain advantage through voting rights. Also, by re drawing the voting district, protestants could ensure that the Catholics were unable to gain a power base, further marginalizing them. The Catholics were angry with this, causing tension which later led to conflicts between the Protestants and the Catholics.