Diploma thesis "The Theory of Consociational Democracy and the Development of the Northern Ireland's Conflict" examines the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland and also the possibility to apply this theory in this particular case. The principal objective of research is to analyze the long-standing conflict and explore the possibility to apply one of the most famous political science's theories, the author of which is Dutch political scientist A. Lijphart, currently on situation in Northern Ireland. This conflict lasting for many decades culminated in the 60s of the last century accompanied by violent and bloody clashes between opposing groups. Actors led by British government tried to solve this situation through the introduction the principle of power-sharing. This research offers an analyses of this conflict and also his changes in time, but also different actors and transformation of their attitudes, which were the reason of the movement from violent and armed conflict to the peaceful solution. This research offers not only an analyses of the conflict of itself but what more an analyses of the peace process, in which shows if the conflict resolution in Northern Ireland has had elements of consociational. One more objective of the diploma thesis is make a statement, if there is any possibility...

The Northern Irish conflict known as the Troubles reached a peace process in 1998, through the framework of the Good Friday Agreement. Infused in the agreement are the traits of consociationalism, a theory often articulated by Professor Arend Lijphart. While Lijphart himself condemned a consociational democracy for Northern Ireland as unrealistic in its initial stages, the political settlement in the region is today one of the key confirming cases of consociational theory. However, while political cementation, enabled through this agreement, heightened the opportunities for the political accommodation of groups in a heterogeneous Northern Ireland, the traits of consociationalism offers less normative measures as to move beyond conflict management. The intent of this essay is to understand the barriers and opportunities of consociationalism in tangling the complexity of Northern Ireland as a deeply divided society. Moreover, this disciplined configurative case study will grant insights on whether the theoretical framework has offered sufficient explanatory power for Northern Ireland in making the shift from conflict management to conflict transformation. Through the application of consociationalism and nationalism, the barriers and opportunities of the Good Friday Agreement in maintaining a Northern Irish identity will be discussed and analysed by theoretical and qualitative means.