Sunningdale Agreement

The Sunningdale agreement in December 1973, was an attempt to solve the Northern Ireland problem. It established a form of devolution, which unlike the previous form, would not be dominated by the Ulster Unionist Party. Unionists, however, feared that it was intended as the first step towards a United Ireland. The resignation of all UUP Ministers in the Executive in May 1974 finished it off, but it had never really functioned effectively in any case.