Synopsis
An updated edition on the 1707 Union between Scotland and England in a modern context
The Scots and the Union: Then and Now is a refreshed, revised and extended edition of The Scots and the Union, which appeared in 2006. It was acclaimed then as a path-breaking, game-changing account of the making of the United Kingdom, and the Scots’ part in this. Winner of the Saltire Society’s prestigious Scottish History Book of the Year prize, it successfully challenged accounts of the process that alleged that the union was brought about by English bullying and the venality of Scottish politicians `bought and sold for English gold’.
This new edition not only provides readers with an essential explanation of why and how Scotland became part of the United Kingdom, but brings the historical debate into a vigorous present with an additional section. An explanation is provided as to why the union is less strong in 2014 than it was in the 1950s and also why, in comparison with citizens in some other smaller European nations which have become independent states in recent times, large numbers of Scots seem reluctant to see the end of Britain.
This new edition is the key background text for anyone wishing to explore how we got to the position where we are once again debating union issues and opinions, lending historical weight and context to the arguments for and against union.
Key Features:
- Updated in the light of new research
- Challenges dominant view that the Scots were `bought and sold for English gold’
- New chapter expands the debate into the present
- Adds historical dimension to the current debate about the union
- Key background reading for anyone interested in 2014 referendum
Les informations fournies dans la section « Synopsis » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.
Présentation de l'éditeur
This book offers key background reading for anyone interested in Scotland's 2014 referendum on independence. This book traces the background to the Treaty of Union of 1707, explains why it happened and assesses its impact on Scottish society, including the bitter struggle with the Jacobites for acceptance of the union in the two decades that followed its inauguration. The first edition was radical in reinterpreting the causes of union, rejecting the widely held notion that the Scots were bought and sold for English gold and instead placing emphasis on the international, dynastic and religious contexts of the union negotiations. This new edition brings the historical debate up to a vigorous present, in which we are once again discussing such issues and opinions, lending historical weight to arguments for and against Union. It is updated in the light of new research. It challenges dominant view that the Scots were 'bought and sold for English gold'. It includes a new chapter that expands the debate into the present. It adds historical dimension to the current debate about the Union. It presents key background reading for anyone interested in 2014 referendum.
Revue de presse
Whatley's careful research, spliced with fascinating detail, reveals the sophisticated politics used by these Scots and reclaims them as patriots. It is a magnificent study of the politics of the time... Whatley has done the history of the period a great service, stripping away the myths and revealing sophisticated people making sophisticated decisions. --Ruaridh Nicoll, The Observer
'The most complete and nuanced account of the state of the Scottish economy in the period between the Revolution of 1688 and the Union of 1707'. --John Morrill FBA, Times Higher Education
An important and finely argued book.... Everyone who seriously wants to understand how and why modern Scotland came into being should read it'. --T. C. Smout, Historiographer Royal in Scotland
Les informations fournies dans la section « A propos du livre » peuvent faire référence à une autre édition de ce titre.
