This book describes the results of a study of the political development of 35 Protestant and Catholic children between 11 and 16 years old, attending integrated and non-integrated secondary schools in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The research maps Belfast schoolchildren's images of political violence, political authority figures, and their views about the possibility for peaceful change. Results show that for the children in the study, the conflict in Northern Ireland is not only a religious one, but one that involves economic, political, historical, and psychological issues. The study also indicated that age, class, gender, and religious differences may be significant for both school populations. Specifically, different patterns of political imagery for both age groups in both types of schools in Belfast indicate important dimensions to the troubles. A key unanswered question is the effect of social diversity on daily experience and how that relates to youth violence and tolerance. (EH)