This ambitious project surveys the massive changes the 20th century has brought to Scotland. The nation's leading commentators give an overview of the most important trends, providing new insights and fresh perspectives. Comparative reference to other societies in the UK and Europe highlight the unique elements of Scotland's distinctive development. Home Rule issues, the discovery of oil, deindustrialisation, public housing, education, landownership, the role of women, social class, and many more areas of Scottish life are assessed and explored in this rich, rewarding and comprehensive study.
Sir Thomas Martin Devine, Kt OBE FBA FRSE HonMRIA FRHistS FSA Scot, is a Scottish academic historian. Devine's main research interest is the history of the Scottish nation since c. 1600 and its global connections and impact. He is regarded as the leading authority on the history of modern Scotland.
He is the author or editor of some three dozen books and close to 100 articles on topics as diverse as emigration, famine, identity, Scottish transatlantic commercial links, urban history, the economic history of Scotland, Empire, the Scottish Highlands, the Irish in Scotland, sectarianism, stability and protest in the 18th century Lowlands, Scottish elites, the Anglo-Scottish Union, rural social history, Caribbean slavery and Scotland, the global impact of the Scottish people and comparative Irish and Scottish relationships. The Scottish Nation (1999) became an international best-seller, and for a short period even outsold in Scotland the adventures of Harry Potter when first published. In 2013 the volume was listed first in the '100 Best Books to Build a Better Scotland' compiled by ListMuse.com.