The Twentieth Century and into the 21st

New College, Edinburgh where the Parliament is currently sitting

During the late nineteenth century there had been a large development of heavy industry on the Clyde, with a special emphasis on ship-building. Early in the twentieth century steam was replacing sail and steel was replacing iron and Scotland took the lead in these fields. Soon, however, diesel engines were being produced and following World War I Scottish shipping manufacture was in chronic difficulties. In monetary terms Scotland's standard of living was about the same as that of England but in health and other areas it was falling behind, one commentator has written 'in 1936 the infant mortality rate in Glasgow exceeded that for Chicago by 180 per cent, Oslo 270 per cent, and Stockholm by 290 per cent ... it was in fact higher than the corresponding rates for Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Montevideo'. Infant mortality was falling though. Scotland also suffered throughout the 1930's as the world suffered depression.

The National Party of Scotland was founded in May 1928 and its first president was R. B. Cunningehame Graham and together with Secretary John MacCormick and Secretary Roland Muirhead they committed themselves to 'independence within the British group of nations'. MacCormick and Muirhead contested the 1929 election where they received a disappointing 5% of the vote in each of the constituencies they fought. Throughout the 30's their support increased and a poll by the Scottish Daily Express newspaper showed that 113,000 favoured some kind of self government while only 5,000 opposed. In 1932 a breakaway Scottish Party was founded which had much more establishment views and members, including the Duke of Montrose. The prospect of the two nationalist parties fighting each other was enough for them to amalgamate and in April 1934 they combined to become the Scottish National Party. During the Second World War the membership fell from its high in 1934 of 10,000 to less than 4,000 in 1945. The war was brought home to Scotland in March 1941 when Clydebank was subjected to a raid by 200 German bombers, 1200 died and only 8 houses out of 12,000 were untouched. Greenock was attacked the following May but in general Scotland itself did not suffer as badly as England during the war years.

Following the war it was realised that Scotland was far too dependent on heavy industry - one in four of the male workforce was employed in these industries. Until the late 1950's Scotland was protected from high unemployment due to the need for much rebuilding, and this meant that heavy industry was required. By 1957-8, however, unemployment had suddenly doubled and much of the old heavy industry was declining quickly. In constitutional terms Scotland's relationship with England remained much the same during the 1950's despite a speech by Winston Churchill in Edinburgh on constitutional change. Politically Scotland was virtually a two party state during the twenty years following the end of WW II. The Labour Party regularly polled between 46 and 49 per cent of the Scottish vote while the Unionist opposition gained between 45 and 50 per cent. During the 50's the SNP struggled to retain a membership of only 2,000.

The situation began to change in the 1960's with the rise of the Labour Party throughout Britain. In Scotland in 1966 it reached 49 per cent, its highest ever poll rating. Already by 1967 the government was in difficulties and was beginning to lose by-elections to huge swings in the popular vote. In Pollock the Conservatives took the seat from Labour but the headlines were made by the Scottish National Party who polled 28 per cent. At another by-election in 1967 Winifred Ewing overturned a 16,000 Labour majority to take the seat for the SNP. In the local elections of 1968 the SNP took 30 per cent of the vote and the two party system in Scotland was finally dead.

The 1970's saw another reverse for the Labour Party in Scotland when Margo MacDonald also overturned a 16,000 majority to take the seat of Govan for the SNP in 1973. The Kilbrandon Report of 1973 agreed the need for change but disagreed about the form that it should take. Labour won the 1974 election but with a minority and so a second election was called which they again won with a very small majority. The SNP had done very well in the second election with 30 per cent of the vote and 11 MP's. In the late 1970's a Bill was introduced whereby 40 per cent of the whole electorate would be required to vote 'yes' for devolution to take effect. It was, ironically, accepted on Burns Night 1978 despite the opposition of 80 per cent of Scottish MP's. The referendum took place on March 1st 1979. 32.9 per cent voted 'Yes' and 30.8 per cent voted 'No' in a 63.9 per cent poll. This translated into a 52 per cent Yes vote but it did not reach the amount required by the 40 per cent rule and so Scotland did not get devolution. Soon the Labour government was in crisis and it was the SNP which brought it down in a vote of no confidence.

Edinburgh Castle, the Stone of Destiny was brought here after its return from Westminster, London

The General Election of 1979 lacked a Scottish dimension due largely to the recent referendum and in it Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party was elected with a large majority. Thatcher herself had little interest in Scotland and even less in devolution and so constitutional matters were forgotten by her and her government. Throughout the 80's and 90's Conservative support dwindled in Scotland to culminate in the 1997 election where they lost all their remaining MP's. The SNP fared little better with their 11 MP's being reduced to two in the 1987 election but support gradually increased again throughout the 90's. The Tories made a mistake in introducing the Community Charge into Scotland a year before it was to be introduced in England and Wales, it soon became dubbed the Poll Tax and a huge non-payment campaign was organised. The government persisted, however, and it was introduced to England and Wales where it was equally unpopular. Within eighteen months it had been revoked and declared unworkable, Thatcher was also gone in 1990 and few in Scotland were sorry to see the back of her.

Celebrations on the opening of the Parliament in 1999

Scottish political life continued throughout this period and in 1988 'A Claim of Right for Scotland' was published. It was designed to appeal to a wide variety of opinion in its demand for 'the constitutional rights Scotland expects within the United Kingdom'. This document gave birth to the Constitutional Convention, a cross-party body intent on presenting detailed proposals for a Scottish Assembly. Many took part in the Convention including the Churches, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and others but both the Tories and the SNP remained outside. Although the SNP as a party remained aloof from the Convention many of its prominent members did support the aims it had. In 1992 a European Summit was held in Edinburgh and it was marked by a huge rally where many thousands of Scots marched for the setting up of a Scottish Parliament. By 1997 the members of the Constitutional Convention could celebrate the resounding Yes vote in the most recent referendum, where over 70 per cent voted for a Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers.

Scotland's parliament re-opened in 1999 after a break of nearly 300 years.

History Books on the 20th century:

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From:
Bell, Colin	Scotland's Century: An Autobiography of the Nation	1999	£19.99	Amazon.co.uk
A selection of personal reminiscences from some of the many people who took part in the BBC Radio Scotland series of the same name.
Devine, T. M. & Finlay, R. J. (eds.)	Scotland in the Twentieth Century	1996	£16.95 or $25.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
A survey of the many changes that have taken place in Scotland over the course of the 20th century - such as the changing economic base, the discovery of oil, the rise of nationalism. It also compares other societies in Europe to demonstrate the unique aspects of the Scottish experience.
Martin Hannan and Donald MacLeod (eds.)	Twentieth-Century Scotland: A Pictorial Chronicle 1900-2000	2000	£14.99 or $29.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
The last 100 years in Scotland have seen unprecedented social, scientific and political upheaval. Over the years, "The Scotsman" has recorded the changes. Donald MacLeod, a staff photographer for 20 years, brings the best photographs together in this book, with commentary by Martin Hannan.
Harvie, C. and Peter Jones (eds.)	The Road To Home Rule: Images of Scotland's Cause	2001	£11.99 or $19.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
This is a popular account which spans the time period from the Union of the Crowns to the first year of the new parliament. Along with a well-written text are over 100 black and white photographs charting the course of the events covered.
Harvie, C.	Scotland & Nationalism 3rd Edition	1997	£15.99 or $26.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
This new edition brings Scotland and Nationalism entirely up-to-date (1997). In particular the lead up to and implications of the 1997 referendum are analysed, together with the development of nationalist feeling in a wider context.
Lee, C. H.	Scotland and the United Kingdom: the Economy and the Union in the Twentieth Century	1995	£14.99 or $27.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
MacDougall, Ian	Voices from Work and Home	2000	£9.99	Amazon.co.uk
Personal recollections of working life in the twentieth century by Scots men and women from a range of industries and occupations. Their memories sparkle with wit, vitality and colour.

History Books on this time period

Author	Title	Published	Price	Order Now From:
Cooke, A. (ed.)	Modern Scottish History: 1707 to the Present	1998	£14.99	Amazon.co.uk
Part of a distance-learning history of Scotland course running from January 1998. The successful completion of the course gives students the equivalent to Junior Honours/OU Level 3 and carries 60 SCOTCAT points. This second volume covers the period 1850 to the present.
Devine, T. M.	The Scottish Nation 1700 - 2000	2000	£9.99 or $20.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
A paperback edition of one of the best-received books to be published about Scottish history for many years, written by one our most prestigious historians. A look at the factors which have shaped and defined modern Scotland.
Dickson, A. D. R. & Treble, J. H. (eds.)	People and Society in Scotland: 1914 to the Present	1991	£16.00 or $59.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Ferguson, W.	Scotland: 1689 - Present	1968	£15.99	Amazon.co.uk
The four-volume Edinburgh History of Scotland is the most important project in Scottish historical writing for more than half a century; each volume is written by an expert on the period who brings to his work the direct acquaintance with original sources on which authoritative historical writing can alone be based. This, the fourth volume, originally covered the history of Scotland from the Revolution of 1689 to 1967. The paperback edition was updated to include a brief review of the ten years to 1977. Political, ecclesiastical, economic, social and cultural developments all receive consideration, and the interaction of these factors is stressed throughout. But the treatment varies. For the 18th century, separate chapters are devoted to specific themes, thus enabling the reader to appreciate the background to ecclesiastical, social and economic movements. Then, on the ground so established, after 1832 the various factors at work in any given period are synthesized in a unified narrative. The result is the most comprehensive and substantial volume on modern Scotland. It incorporates the findings of recent research, including the author's own work, and challenges many accepted verdicts. The book is fully referenced and, as a guide to further reading, has a detailed critical bibliography
Checkland, S. & O.	Industry and Ethos: Scotland 1832-1914	1989	£9.95 or $20.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
This book celebrates the emergence of the Scots and Scotland from centuries of poverty and backwardness. The nineteenth century saw Scottish locomotives and ships working on land and sea throughout the world. It analyses the ways in which the Scots retained their strong sense of national identity despite considerable industrial and social upheaval, and asks the question: who are the Scots? With an additional chapter on women in the period, this is a welcome and essential reissue from the New History of Scotland series.
Harper	Emigration From Scotland 1918 - 1939		£45.00 or $79.95	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
After an opening section where the author sets the Scottish experience within the context of the rest of the British Isles, the book then divides the country geographically, starting with the Highlands, then coastal Scotland, and the urban Lowland highlighting in turn the factors that influenced each of these areas.
Harvie, C.	No Gods and Precious Few Heroes: Scotland 1914-1980	1997	£9.95 or $20.00	Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Originally written in 1981 when the country was in a crisis and unemployment at record highs, this is a somber account of the conflict, industrial decline and economic problems that characterised Scotland for much of the 20th century. Now revised to include the changes that have taken place over the last few years and the possible influence of the new Parliament.
MacDonald	Scotland and the Great War		£14.99	Amazon.co.uk
A study of the impact of the Great War in Scotland. Topics include: conscientious objection; voluntary recruitment; press coverage; gender and the war; and the Scottish Highlands and the war.
Smout, T. C.	Century of the Scottish People, 1830-1950	1987	£9.99	Amazon.co.uk
A reprint of T.C. Smout's account of the Scottish people, from 1830-1950.