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.

About the Author
Christopher A. Whatley is Professor of Scottish History and Head of the College of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Dundee.

Reviews
"'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)"



Book Information
ISBN 9780748680276
Author Christopher Whatley
Format Paperback
Page Count 480
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press
Weight(grams) 757g