The Scots and the Union: Then and Now

Description

The cornerstone text on the Union between Scotland and England, brought up-to-date in the face of debates on present-day independenceGBS_insertPreviewButtonPopup(['ISBN:9780748680269','ISBN:9780748680276','ISBN:9780748680283']);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. Public opinion in Scotland in 1707 was sharply divided, between advocates, opponents, and a large body of ‘don’t knows’. In 1706-7 party (and dynastic) advantage was the driving force behind opposition to the proposed union at elite level, while the spectre of French aggression, the desire to secure the 1688-89 Revolution and the need to defend Protestantism all boosted the Unionist cause: Scotland is in a quite different position in the 21st century - what will she choose? Praise for the First Edition: ‘Marks an important historiographical development for a mature understanding and appreciation of the events and issues relating to the 1707 union. It can now be regarded as the leading work on 1707... Should be compulsory reading for all MSPs and media commentators, irrespective of their own political party allegiances and viewpoints, and for anyone who has an interest in Scottish history.’ - John R. Young, Scottish Review of Books ‘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 ‘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 ‘It is an impressive achievement, which sets the agenda for discussions of the Union then, and the Union now’ - Iain Maclean, University of Oxford, Scottish Historical Review ‘With this volume, Whatley has achieved an important revision of what has been, for too long, an unsatisfactory, politically motivated account... Derived from meticulous scholarship and should reset the historiography of Scotland and Great Britain regardless of its political implications.’ - Alan H. Singer, Honors College, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, H-Net