ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the development of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) and the associated political party of the Irish republican movement, Sinn Fein (SF). The violence between British military forces, the PIRA, and Protestant paramilitary groups continued in the 1990s. From a guerrilla movement with a small political wing to a large political party with a defunct militant wing, SF and the PIRA have changed immensely. Many historical developments, including the forming of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), the tragic events of Bloody Sunday in 1972, and the hunger strikes in the 1980s, influenced who had the power advantage during various stages of the conflict in Northern Ireland. One alternative that needed to be explored was the use of the legitimate political system of Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Republic. This shift in beliefs and associated frames, and its connection to the antecedent condition is consistent with the collective political violence transformative (CPVT) model.
