Description
Book SynopsisPublic opinion in Scotland in 1707 was sharply divided, between advocates of Union, opponents, and a large body of don''t knows. In 1706-7 it was party (and dynastic) advantage that was the main reason for opposition to the proposed union at elite level. Whatever the reasons now for maintaining the Union, they are in some important respects different from those which took Scotland into the Union, such as French aggression, securing the Revolution of 1688-89 and the defence of Protestantism. This new edition assesses the impact of the Union on Scottish society, including the bitter struggle with the Jacobites for acceptance of the union in the two decades that followed its inauguration. The book offers a radical new interpretation of the causes of union.
Now, as in 1706-7, some kind of harmonious relationship with England has to be settled upon. There exists, on both sides of the border, mutual antipathy but also powerful bonds, of language, kin, and economics. In the case of Scotland there is a strong sense of being different from England--a separate nation. But arguably this was even more powerful in the mid-19th century when demand grew not for independence but Home Rule. As in 1707, economic considerations are central, even if the nature of these now are different--the Union was forged in an era of muscular mercantilism. Perceptions of economic gain and loss affected behaviour in 1706-7 and continue to affect attitudes to the Union today. This new edition lends historical weight to the present-day arguments for and against Union.
Trade Review"'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'. (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) '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)"
Table of ContentsNote on style and abbreviations; Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction: contrasting and changing receptions of the union of 1707; 1. Issues, debates and aims; 2. Scotland under the union of the crowns to the Revolution of 1688-9: searching for the roots of union; 3. Roots of union: ambition and achievement and the aftermath of the Revolution; 4. The 1690s: a nation in crisis; 5. 'The most neglected if not opprest State in Europe'? Confrontations? and the search for compromise, 1700-5; 6. Digging Scotland out: Parliament and the reconstruction of the pathway towards union, 1705-6; 7. Paving the way: the union commissioners and the hearts and minds of the people; 8. 'An affair of the greatest concern and import': the union Parliament and the Scottish nation; 9. Union in the balance, union accomplished; 10. Union now; Appendices; Select Bibliography; Index.
