1. 英美概况 A Brief Introduction to Britain and America

2. Handan College 2 Unit 2 A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom: (II)

3. Handan College 3 1. Features of Northern Ireland 2. Pursuits of Irish independence 3. Conflicts within Northern Ireland Main Contents

4. Handan College 4 1. Features of Northern Ireland 1. Population 2. Geographical features 3. Capital city 4. Another name 5. Social order 6. Economy

5. Handan College 1. Features of Northern Ireland  Population  --- smallest of the 4 nations, both in area and population  --- a population of 1.759 million, smaller than many Chinese cities 5

6. Handan College  --- smallest in size of the 4 nations  --- low hills in the middle, rugged coastline  --- beautiful lake district in the south- west  --- the Giant’s Causeway 巨人之堤 Geographical features

7. Handan College The Giant’s Causeway  A rocky promontory  Made up of black hexagonal 六边形的 columns Formed by cooling lava Millions of years ago

8. Handan College The Giant’s Causeway

9. Handan College  --- located in east coast  --- the biggest city in the province  --- a population of 350 thousand Capital: Belfast

10. Handan College  Often called “Ulster” 阿尔斯特  --- it is the name of an ancient Irish Kingdom which once existed where Northern Ireland lies now Northern Ireland

11. Handan College  --- political problems are not the preoccupation of people’s everyday life. However, these problems are not forgotten though only concentrated on particular areas.  --- crime is low Social order

12. Handan College  --- wealth per capita 人均 is the lowest of UK  Reasons: ① the troubles evoked by the political problems there discouraged investment ② its peripherality in relation to the UK  --- living costs are comparatively low  --- industrial companies include the aircraft manufacturers Economy

13. Handan College 13 2. Pursuits of Irish independence 1. Background 2. Home Rule Bill 3. The Easter Rising of 1916 4. Important Figures 5. Results

14. Handan College  --- From 1801 to 1920, the whole island of Ireland was politically integrated with Britain, and the full name of UK was “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland”. The Irish desired for an independent State. Background

15. Handan College  --- “Home Rule” refers to a campaign for Irish control of Irish affairs.  --- Three “Home Rule Bill” were put forward to the British parliament in 1886, 1892 and 1912 respectively. The former two were both rejected.  --- The third “Home Rule Bill” was passed in 1914, but the process was overtaken by the First World War and was suspended for the duration of the war. Home Rule Bill

16. Handan College  --- The rebels occupied Dublin’s Post Office and forced the British to retake the Home Rule Bill by military force.  --- The leaders of the rebellion were executed by the British authorities. The Easter Rising of 1916

17. Handan College  (1) IRA (Irish Republican Army)  ① In 1919, IRA members expanded the fighting against British government and the conflict became too big to ignore.  ② Background Knowledge of IRA Important Figures

18. Handan College --- IRA was set up in 1919 by the Sinn Fein party --- Split of IRA in 1969 A. The Official IRA 正统派 : concentrate on a political process of Irish problem and run candidates for elections. B. The Provisional IRA 临时派 : believe armed force was the only way to get the British out. It is this group that continued the conflict for the last 30 years and it is them that are usually referred to by talk about the IRA. Background Knowledge of IRA

19. Handan College  (2) The Sinn Fein party  ① It supported the Irish terrorists.  ② In the parliamentary election of 1918 in UK, the Sinn Fein party gained most of the Irish seats in the British parliament, making the Irish independence inevitable. Important Figures

20. Handan College  (1) In 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed. The treaty said that the southern 26 counties would form an independent “free state”, which the 6 north-eastern counties would remain a part of the UK, bring to an end 700 years of British rule in southern Ireland.  (2) Northern Ireland was given its own Parliament to deal with Northern Irish internal affairs, based at Stormont. （贝 尔法斯特城外的斯多蒙特城堡） Results

21. Handan College 21 3. Conflicts within Northern Ireland 1. Reasons 2. The troubles 3. Attempts to dissolve conflicts

22. Handan College  (1) Colonization --- From the time of Queen Elizabeth I (the late 1590s), that is during the 17 th century, in order to have a better control of Ireland, the British crown encouraged people from Scotland and Northern England to settle in the northern part of Ireland. Reasons

23. Handan College  (2) Religious conflict --- The new settlers were Protestants. Their descendants think of themselves as British, and wish to remain a part of the British state. They were called “Unionist”. “ 联合派 ” --- The original Irish people are Catholics, many of whom resented the North’s separation from the south and identical with the nationalist cause. They were called “Loyalists”. “ 民族派 ” Reasons

24. Handan College  (3) Oppression on Roman Catholics --- The majority, the Protestants controlled the local democratically- elected parliament and used that power to support their own economic and social dominance in the province. Catholic Irish, 40% of the population, found it harder to get jobs, or to benefit from social programs. Reasons

25. Handan College  (1) Catholic Civil Rights Movement in 1960s  ① Influenced by the American Civil Rights Movement carried out by the blacks, Catholics often marched in the streets and fought for equality.  ② Protestants organized counter- demonstrations and mobs 暴徒 attacked Catholic areas.  ③ This led to the first presence of British soldiers on Northern Irish streets in 1969.They have been there ever since. The troubles (armed conflict)

26. Handan College  (2) Terrorist activities of IRA in the 1970s  ① IRA bombed and shot security forces and city-centers in 1970s. Protestants formed their own illegal paramilitary 准军事性质的 groups and took revenge on Catholics.  ② Result: Northern Irish cities were divided into exclusively Protestant and exclusively Catholic areas. Two communities hardly mix at all. The troubles (armed conflict)

27. Handan College  (3) Bloody Sunday (30 th January, 1972)  ① On this day, 13 Catholics who had been taking part in a peaceful civil rights march were killed in Northern Ireland.  ② It is an important symbol of British oppression.  ③ It strengthened Catholic opposition to the British presence. The troubles (armed conflict)

28. Handan College (4) “The Bullet and the Ballot Box”  ① In the 1980s convicted 被判有罪的 IRA started a campaign for the status of being political prisoners by starving themselves. The British government didn’t give in to this demand for political status and 11 prisoners starved to death.  ② This event revitalized Sin Finn, which then produced this policy called “The Bullet and the Ballot Box”, meaning a political as well as military campaign for union with Ireland. The troubles (armed conflict)

29. Handan College  (1) The Power-Sharing mechanism in 1973  ① In 1973, the British and Irish government agreed on a new form of Irish parliament of a Power-Sharing mechanism, allowing the minority Catholic political influence.  ② The Protestant majority fought against it by strike, leading to the collapse of it.  ③ This Northern Irish parliament was suspended and replaced by “direct-rule” from London. Attempts to dissolve conflicts

30. Handan College  (2) The Anglo-Irish agreement in 1985 --- According to this agreement, Irish government was given the policy called “The Bullet and the Ballot Box”, meaning a political as well as military campaign for union with Ireland, giving the Irish a right to consultation on Northern Irish matters. The cooperation of British and Irish governments began. Attempts to dissolve conflicts

31. Handan College  (3) IRA declared a ceasefire in 1994  ① In August 1994, with the efforts made by John Hume, the leader of Social Democratic and Labour Party, and Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein, IRA declared a ceasefire.  ② However, the IRA refused to hand over their weapons, and in February 1996, they set off two explosions in London, which left the future for Northern Ireland is still in doubt. Attempts to dissolve conflicts

32. Handan College  (4) The Good Friday Agreement in 1998  ① Time: 10 th April, 1998  ② Content: This agreement (also called the Belfast Agreement) assures the loyalist community that Northern Ireland “remains part of the United Kingdom and shall not cease to be so without the consent of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland.” Attempts to dissolve conflicts

33. Handan College  The agreement makes Northern Ireland the only country in the world which is recognized as an independent entity but which is governed by three separate jurisdictions: that of the Republic of Ireland, that of Great Britain, that of its own elected executive government of 10 ministers.  Result

34. Handan College  １９９９年１１月２９日，北爱议会选举产生权 力共享（由新教徒和天主教徒联合组成）的北爱 地方政府执行机构，正式吸纳新芬党进入北爱地 方政府。３０日，英国议会上下两院相继通了北 爱事务大臣曼德尔森提交的地方管理权力法案。 扩充

35. Handan College  １２月１日，英国女王伊丽莎白二世批准该法案， 完成了向北爱地方政府移交管理权力的所有法律程 序。１２月２日，北爱历史上第一个由原先对立的 新教徒和天主教徒联合组成的地方政府开始运作， 标志着英国政府对北爱长达２７年的直接统治正式 宣告结束；当日，爱尔兰议会对宪法进行了修改， 决定正式放弃对北爱尔兰长达几十年的领土要求。 扩充

36. Handan College  ２００２年１０月，北爱地方议会新芬党成员办公 室曝出 “ 间谍案 ” ，自治政府随即停止运作，此后近 ５年中英国政府将北爱地方政府的自治权收回中央 政府。 扩充

37. Handan College  ２００７年３月２６日，新教政党民主统一党与 天主教政党新芬党领袖达成协议，决定从５月８ 日开始建立地方自治联合政府，分享政权。同年 ５月８日，北爱尔兰民主统一党领袖佩斯利和新 芬党领导人麦吉尼斯在北爱首府贝尔法斯特同时 宣誓就任北爱新政府第一部长和第二部长，这标 志北爱正式恢复分权自治政府。 扩充

38. Handan College 威尔士事务大臣彼得 · 海因、英国首相布莱尔、爱尔兰总理埃亨 和新芬党领导人麦吉尼斯（从右至左）在位于贝尔法斯特的议 会大楼会晤。