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Why were British troops sent into Northern Ireland in 1969?
the march by the Apprentice Boys which passed by the Catholic Bogside brought huge amounts of violence to the streets, this resulted in the “Battle of Bogside”. Riots and violence escalated and the new Prime Minister of Northern Ireland asked the Government of Westminster to send in troops to restore the order. The Downing Street Declaration was published on 19 August 1969 to calm the fears of the Northern Ireland population; it stated “…there shall be full equality of treatment for all citizens.” The Catholics were happy when the troops were sent into Northern Ireland because they were seen as their protectors.
From the information in this essay I can conclude that the reason the British troops were sent in was part of a long-term history. Ireland was partitioned in 1920 after a long period of violence between the Protestants and the Catholics. This was expected to bring an end to the hostility, but in fact the relations between them got worse, so eventually the troops had to be sent in.