The beginning of the conflict

The Troubles initially began as a non-violent civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland. The civil associations that started the campaign wanted discrimination against Irish Catholics (and republicans) to end. They pointed out that Irish Catholics were discriminated against both on the job market and the housing market.

But the campaigners also wanted to change other aspects of society. For example, they advocated for universal voting rights, since at that time only home-owners could vote in Northern Ireland. They also advocated for reforming the police force and repealing an act that allowed authorities to search and arrest people without warrants.

However, the civil campaigns turned violent in 1966 when dynamite was used to bring down a monument. Loyalists started fearing that the republican IRA would reorganise and created their own paramilitary groups such as the Ulster Prote...