The armalite and the ballot box strategy was pursued by the Irish Republican movement in the 1980s and early 1990s, viz. a strategy where elections in Northern Ireland and the Republic were contested by Sinn Féin, while the IRA continued to pursue a paramilitary struggle against the British army, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and loyalist paramilitary groups. This was a matter of some controversy within republicanism, seen as a betrayal of the purity of the armed struggle by some IRA members and supporters, some of whom left to form Republican Sinn Féin in 1986. The strategy is similar to that adopted by the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Ulster Unionist Party in the decade before the creation of Northern Ireland. Irish Republicanism is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a united independent republic. ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Main language English Other recognised languages Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th... Motto: none Anthem: Amhrán na bhFiann (The Soldiers Song) Capital Dublin Largest city Dublin Official language(s) Irish, English Government President Taoiseach Parliamentary democracy Mary McAleese Bertie Ahern Independence  - Declared  - Recognised From UK by treaty 21 January 1919 6 December 1922 Accession to EU January 1, 1973 Area... Sinn Féin (pronounced in English, in Irish) is a name used by a series of Irish political movements of the 20th century, each of which claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the RA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation dedicated to the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and to a United Ireland. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ... In general, a loyalist is an individual who is loyal to the powers that be or The Establishment. ... Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) is a minor political party1 operating in Ireland. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ulster Volunteer Force (more commonly referred to as the UVF) is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ... The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party ) is a moderate unionist political party in Northern Ireland, which formed its government between 1921 and 1972 and was supported by most unionists throughout the Troubles. ... Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Main language English Other recognised languages Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th...

It emerged after the Hunger Strikes as a response to the electoral success of Bobby Sands in the by-election of April 1981 and pro-Hunger Strike campaigners in the Northern Ireland local elections and Republic of Ireland Dáil elections of the same year. It was first formulated by Sinn Féin organiser Danny Morrison at the party's Ard Fheis (Annual Conference) in 1981, when he said, "Who here really believes we can win the war through the ballot box? But will anyone here object if, with a ballot paper in this hand and an Armalite in the other, we take power in Ireland?"-1... Robert Gerard Sands, commonly known as Bobby Sands (9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981) was an Irish republican who died on hunger strike(in other words saving money) in the prison officially called HM Prison Maze but formerly known as Long Kesh (a name still used by Irish Republicans). ... The by-election held in Fermanagh and South Tryrone on April 9, 1981 is considered by many to be the most significant by-election held in Northern Ireland since the beginning of The Troubles. ... Dáil Éireann[1] is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... Daniel Kyle Morrisson (born 3 February 1966) was a former New Zealand cricketer (Black Caps). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ArmaLite, originally the ArmaLite Division of the Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation, is one of the most influential corporations in the history of 20th century small arms. ...

The strategy was a mixed success. Sinn Féin had a solid core of 9-13% of the vote in Northern Ireland, which gave the party some credibility on the international stage. However at home it highlighted the dominance at the time of the non-violent Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in Northern Nationalist politics, while Sinn Féin's vote in the Republic remained tiny once the emotion generated by the 1981 hunger strike subsided. In the longer term, it had two important political consequences, each of which fed in to the emergent Northern Ireland peace process. When the British and Irish governments drafted the Anglo-Irish Agreement as a means of bolstering the SDLP, this convinced many in Sinn Féin that it was possible to make political gains without violence. However some would also argue that electoral setbacks suffered by Sinn Féin, such as the loss of 16 of the party's 59 council seats in 1989 and the defeat of Gerry Adams in the Belfast West constituency in 1992, pushed the emphasis of the Republican movement away from the armalite and towards an election focused strategy. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP — Irish: Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is the smaller of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. ... An Irish nationalist is generally one who seeks (greater) independence of Ireland from Great Britain, including since 1921 the goal of a United Ireland. ... When discussing the history of Northern Ireland, the peace process is generally considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 IRA ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of The Troubles, the Belfast (or Good Friday) Agreement, and subsequent political developments. ... The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. ... Gerry Adams Gerry Adams MP, MLA, (Irish: Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for West Belfast. ... Creation 1922 MP Gerry Adams Party Sinn Féin Type House of Commons Districts Belfast, Lisburn EP constituency Northern Ireland Belfast West is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ...

Since the IRA ceasefires of 1994 and 1997, opinion in Northern Ireland remains characteristically divided on whether the armalite and ballot box strategy has been abandoned. Most nationalists, noting the abandonment of large scale political violence and beginning of decommissioning by the IRA, feel that the republican movement have set aside the gun for good, while many unionists remain skeptical. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated like the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ...

The strategy has also been attributed as having inspired members of the Loyalist Ulster Defence Association such as John McMichael to seek a similar route into electoral politics, through vehicles such as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party, however parties directly linked to Loyalist paramilitaries have had minimal success in elections in Northern Ireland. In general, a loyalist is an individual who is loyal to the powers that be or The Establishment. ... The UDA flag in the town center of Ahoghill, County Antrim. ... ‘’’John McMichael’’’ (known as ‘Big John’) was a leading Northern Ireland Loyalist who rose to become the most prominent figure within the Ulster Defence Association. ... The Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party (ULDP) was a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. ...

Armalite, in this context, is often mistakenly said to refer to the M-16 rifle, but actually refers to the AR-18 rifle. M16 is also the Eagle Nebula in astronomy. ... The AR-18 is an assault rifle chambered in 5. ...