Downing Street Declaration (KS4)
Suitable for: Key stage 4
Time period: Postwar 1945-present
Suggested inquiry questions: What was the significance of the Downing Street Declaration?
Potential activities: Explore the documents and fill in the table provided
Download: Lesson pack
Please note, the transcripts of the resources retain any typographical errors included in the original documents.
The resource takes a twin-track approach.
Track 1: The significance of the Downing Street Declaration
The six documents raise awareness and understanding of key events, developments and processes which contributed in some way to the Downing Street Declaration and the wider peace process. The main question is :
What was the significance of the Downing Street Declaration?
In one sense the answer to this is simple: the Declaration, as Source 6 clearly states, was designed to offer the Republican movement in Northern Ireland a pathway towards an end to violent action. Of course, the process of reaching a point where the Declaration could be made was far from simple. There were many contributory factors: individuals, groups, movements; developments in Ireland and the USA. These documents provide an insight into the workings and impact of just a few of these factors.
Track 2: How historians use sources
Making effective use of sources is not some mechanical process or skill which is separate from knowledge and context. It is a craft which experts take many years to develop and constantly look to improve on. The examination paper for this part of the CCEA GCSE History course places great stock on asking students to assess how the sources they are given would be useful and/or reliable in the context of particular questions. This resource is NOT an examination practice paper. It is designed to take one step back from the exam question-based approach and to explore how historians think about documents and make use of them. The aim is that by understanding this set of fundamentals, students will be better equipped for the inevitably more limited approaches which examination conditions place on them.
Students are introduced to the two tracks in Slides 1-10 and then they can look at the documents.
Students should look at each document and complete the table, so that they are recording:
- Reasons why the Downing Street Declaration came about, why key groups or individuals were involved, why and progress was difficult;
- Impact of particular events, actions, individuals;
- Changes taking place at the time;
- How the process worked which eventually led to the Downing Street Declaration came – meetings, discussions, documents; and
- Attitudes of the various groups and individuals involved.
For each document, there are additional questions to aid students in their analysis.
Students should complete the table before discussing what they consider to be the significance of the Downing Street Declaration.
Once students have decided on a line of argument, they should develop an extended paragraph in response to the question “What was the significance of the Downing Street Declaration?” Their answer should explain why they have come to their conclusion what evidence from the sources supports their assessment.
Download the resource pack below:
Download the Powerpoint (8.08MB)
Tasks
Source 1
A newspaper cutting contained in a UK government file. The article was published in May 1993 in The Sunday News, a newspaper in the Irish Republic.
Context notes
John Hume was the leader of the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP), the largest Nationalist party in Northern Ireland at the time. Gerry Adams was the leader of Sinn Féin, which was generally seen as the political wing of the IRA although Gerry Adams always officially denied that there was a link between the two organisations. They began a series of meetings in 1992 to discuss the conditions which would be necessary to end the conflict in Northern Ireland. In April 1994 these ‘secret’ talks were discovered and widely reported in the newspapers and as a result Hume and Adams made a public statement about their talks in April 1993. They then continued to meet and made further public statements in September and November 1993, setting out their views on how government and politics in Northern Ireland should develop.
Questions
Content
- What have Hume and Adams been doing?
- What is the view of the author of the article about these actions?
- Is there any evidence that there have been reactions from other groups?
Inferences from the content
- What can historians infer about public opinion and politicians in Ireland at this time?
- What can historians infer about the impact of the Hume Adams talks?
Inferences from the context
- Is it significant that a copy of this article was made and was kept in a UK government file?
Source 2
A report on the Peace Train Organisation (PTO) produced in May 1993. The report was commissioned by the Central Community Relations Unit, part of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Context notes
This report was commissioned by the Central Community Relations Unit (CCRU). The Central Community Relations Unit was established in 1987 to advise the Secretary of State on all aspects of the relationship between the different parts of the Northern Ireland community. The Unit, is part of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. The Unit’s role is to make policies on issues of equality and improve community relations. The purpose of this report was to decide whether the Northern Ireland civil service should continue to provide financial support to the Peace Train Organisation.
Questions
Content
- When was the Peace Train Organisation created?
- Who belonged to the group?
- What were its aims?
- What recommendations did the CCRU make?
Inferences from the content
- What can historians infer about the impact of the PTO?
- What can historians infer about the views and attitudes of the members of the PTO?
Inferences from the context
- Is it significant that government officials were providing financial support to the PTO?
- What can historians infer about attitudes within Ireland and Northern Ireland towards the conflict at this time?
Source 3
An internal memorandum produced by an official in the Northern Ireland Civil Service in May 1993. It is reporting on a plan to arrange a meeting between representatives of Unionism in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
Context notes
When Northern Ireland was created in 1921 there was a great deal of hostility and bitterness in the rest of Ireland. Many Irish politicians and officials felt that Ireland should be united, and that Northern Ireland should not exist. By the 1990s this hostility towards Northern Ireland was greatly reduced. However, there was a problem that many in the Irish Government were unsympathetic towards Northern Ireland’s Unionist community. It was felt that many in Irish public life and its institutions regarded Unionists with suspicion, and thought they were simply pawns of the UK government.
Questions
Content
- What event is this document trying to organise?
- What types of people do the officials plan to invite?
Inferences from the content
- Is this source more useful as evidence about the Irish DFA officials or about the UK official writing it?
- What can historians infer about the relationship between the Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Irish DFA?
Inferences from the context
- Explain why it is significant that this meeting was being organised.
- Explain why it is useful to see who got a copy of this document.
Source 4
A letter from the UK Prime Minister to the Taoiseach November 1993
Context notes
Throughout 1993 the UK and Irish governments were talking regularly about Northern Ireland. The governments were also talking to political parties, both Unionist and Nationalist, in Northern Ireland. The UK were also talking to representatives of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). In the week before this letter a number of events caused problems for Prime Minister John Major. He had spoken to Robin Eames, the most senior figure in the Church of Ireland. That was a positive step, but from this point on things went very wrong. On 15 November a Northern Ireland newspaper reported that the UK had been holding talks with the PIRA. On 19 November a newspaper in the Republic published a document drawn up by the Republic’s Department of Foreign Affairs setting out plans for the future of Northern Ireland. On 20 November John Hume and Gerry Adams issued a third joint statement. On 24 November UK police intercepted a large shipment of arms which was meant for the Loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
Questions
Content
- What events have worried the Prime Minister?
- What has the Prime Minister tried to do and how successful has he been?
- Which group is the Prime Minister most concerned about?
Inferences from the content
- How would you describe the Prime Minister’s attitude towards Hume and Adams?
- What can a historian infer from this document about attitudes in Northern Ireland at this time?
Inferences from the context
- What can a historian infer from this letter about the relationship between Major and Albert Reynolds?
Source 5
Record of a meeting between the UK Prime Minister and the Irish Taoiseach December 1993
Context notes
This meeting took place a short time before the Downing Street Declaration was issued. There was constant dialogue between Her Majesty’s Government (HMG – i.e. the UK government) and the Irish Government. Sometimes, as in this case, they were tense. In this instance the Irish government discovered that HMG had been holding talks with the leaders of the PIRA. This had been carried out using go-betweens such as Catholic priests, Northern Ireland business-people and also some UK Intelligence officers.
Questions
Content
- What did the two sides agree was a priority?
- What did they agree was necessary to achieve their aims?
Inferences from the content
- What can a historian infer from this document about relations between the UK and Irish governments at this time?
- What can a historian infer about the differing concerns of the two governments?
Inferences from the context
- Is it significant that the two leaders met face to face (tête-à-tête)?
Source 6
Briefing notes sent to senior civil servants explaining the proposed Downing Street Declaration December 1993
Context notes
This document was written by a senior adviser to the Prime Minister. The document was sent to the Private Secretaries of the members of the Cabinet. Private Secretaries are senior civil servants in government departments and work closely with ministers. The document was designed to alert these officials that the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach would be announcing the Downing Street Declaration and to provide officials and minsters with some important background information and advice on possible questions from the media.
Questions
Content
- What event is being announced and who is being informed about it?
- What is the view of the Irish government about the PIRA?
- What is the intention of the UK and Irish Governments behind the Declaration?
Inferences from the content
- Would a historian find this document useful as evidence about the Republican movement at this time?
- What can a historian infer about the approach taken by the UK and Irish governments towards the PIRA?
- Is this source useful as evidence about the Hume – Adams talks?
Inferences from the context
- Is it significant that this document is being sent to all members of the UK Cabinet?
Teachers' notes
Prior Knowledge: It is recommended that students watch the video From Conflict to Peace available on The National Archives website https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/belfast-good-friday-agreement/ and on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQXBpt5RArY and undertake the discussion activity to gain an overview of The Belfast Good Friday Agreement and what it achieved. The discussion resources are available from https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/belfast-good-friday-agreement/bgfa25-discussion-activity/
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Suitable for: Key stage 4
Time period: Postwar 1945-present
Suggested inquiry questions: What was the significance of the Downing Street Declaration?
Potential activities: Explore the documents and fill in the table provided
Download: Lesson pack
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