Uncivil War: The British Army and the Troubles, 1966-75

Join historian Huw Bennett as he examines the interactions between the British Army and paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland during the most violent phase of the Troubles.

When Operation Banner was launched in 1969, Northern Ireland was facing the threat of civil war. The British Army was deployed to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and assert the authority of the British government across the region. But their intervention did not halt the advance of a prolonged and violent conflict.

Through a tranche of new source material, Professor Huw Bennett explores the British Army’s response to loyalist violence and relationship with the Catholic communities of Northern Ireland. His talk considers the efficacy of British strategy and the engagement of army command with the local population.

This talk sheds further light on the origins of the conflict in Northern Ireland and offers new explanations for why this conflict had escalated into a seemingly endless cycle of warfare by the mid-1970s.

About the speaker

Huw Bennett is Professor of International Relations at Cardiff University. He specialises in strategic studies, military history and intelligence studies. Huw is the author of 'Uncivil War: The British Army and the Troubles, 1966-1975'.