Northern Ireland 1920-1963

Northern Ireland: 1920-1963
The foundation of Northern Ireland (1920)
The state of Northern Ireland was set up under the Government of Ireland Act, passed by the British parliament in 1920. It consited of the six north-eastern counties of Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone. A Northern Ireland government and parliament were set up in Belfast. The six counties remained part of the United Kingdom under the King of England. The British government did not interfere with the affairs of the province between 1922 and 1969. The Unionist party was, from the start, in complete control of the government. The Ulster Unionist party consisted of almost completely protestants. One third of the population of Northern Ireland consisted of Catholics.
A one-party state
It might be hard to deny that the state of Northern Ireland was designed so that the two-thirds Uninonist majority would have a majority in parliament.
Law and order
The IRA were active during the early years of the new state of Northern Ireland, especially in border areas. After a speech from Sir Edward Carson on the twelfth of July 1920, all of the catholic workers in the city of Belfasts shipyard were expelled from their jobs. The new government set up a police force known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which was also known as the RUC. A reserve force was also set up to be known as the B Specials. The Northern Ireland parliament passed the Special Powers Act in 1922. This allowed the government to use extensive powers suc as the death penalty and internment without trial. Sinn Fein and the IRA split overe the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. A Civil War followed in the south. Law and Order was restored in Ireland in 1923.

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