The Hunger Strikes of 1981

 The intense response to the 1981 hunger strike transformed Northern Irish politics more significantly than the seven week hunger strike in 1980. This is because Bobby Sands meticulously planned the 1981 hunger strike in a way that he thought would force the then first-time Thatcher government in the UK to give paramilitary prisoners their much wanted political status. So, with deaths planned, the 1981 hunger strike generated coverage that transformed the shape of Northern Irish politics. Although the hunger strikers may not have transformed Northern Irish politics in the way they desired (which was principally to be given a political prisoner status and then to fight for Northern Ireland to join a United Ireland), their actions caused a national and international reaction. This ranged from Thatcher nearly being murdered to more recruits joining the IRA to Sinn Fein becoming a more formidable force. Although none of this ended the Troubles, the response to the hunger strikes' action perhaps accelerated the end of the Troubles as there was more pressure on the British and Irish governments to find a solution.