Keywords
Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement, U.S Civil Rights Movement, Political opportunity structure, Social movements, Protest in politics
Abstract
This thesis examines two different nonviolent civil rights marches: Selma’s march for voting rights in 1965 in the United States and Derry’s march to end internment without trial in 1972 in Northern Ireland. The two marches yielded drastically different outcomes despite employing the shared tactic of nonviolence. This research addresses the vital role that the political opportunity structure, rather than tactical repertoire alone, plays in determining whether state repression leads to reform or further conflict. Through a controlled comparative analysis, the research positions the march itself as a constant across the two cases. Subsequently, governmental allies, institutional openness, and regime divisions are evaluated to assess their effects on each march’s trajectory. This study uses historical accounts of both marches, drawn from secondary sources, to trace how media attention and leadership operate as mechanisms within the political opportunity structure.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Knuckey, Jonathan
College
College of Sciences
Department
School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs
Thesis Discipline
International and Global Studies
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Romero, Samantha J., "Bloody Sunday: A Comparative Analysis of Nonviolent Marches in Selma and Derry" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 595.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/595
Included in
American Politics Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, Political Theory Commons, United States History Commons
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