There will be no questions in the higher exam about the first section, which is about what Scotland was like before the First World War broke out in 1914.
The strengths and weaknesses of the Scottish economy. The bad points were made worse by the effects of the Great War.
What it was like to live in Scotland at that time, the differences between rural and urban Scotland and why so many Scots tried to escape from Scotland by emigrating.
What the main differences between the political parties in Scotland were and why the Liberals were so strong in Scotland before 1914.
Why Scottish soldiers were thought to be among the best fighting men in the world.
Higher part
In Scotland in 1900 just over half the population lived in cities, the other half living in rural communities. In cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen many of the middle and upper classes lived in the suburbs and town houses.
At the beginning of the 20 th century 90% of Glaswegians shared a toilet with another family and 70% of its population lived in one-or two- roomed flats.
By 1900 just over 10% of the working population still worked in farming. To escape poverty and seek opportunities elsewhere over half a million migrated from Scotland between 1904 and The preferred destinations were the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
As well as tens of thousands of Irish who had settled mainly in the west of Scotland, new immigrants from Lithuania and Italy added to Scotland’s population mix. The highlands continued to lose their population. Historians still debate the effects of the Clearances and the impact of fashionable tourism on the Highlands in the late 19 th century.
Whether or not highlanders were pushed by economic pressures or pulled by attractive opportunities elsewhere, the fact remains that the Highland population was falling.
It was around this time that the roots of the Highland land problem were laid down. After the First World War the unresolved problem of the ‘land question’ would return to haunt the government.
Around 1900 central Scotland was booming. The central belt led the world in the production of coal, iron and steel, shipbuilding and engineering. Between 1880 and 1914 coal was Scotland’s fastest growing industry and in 1900 over 150,000 miners worked in Scotland’s coalmines.
Demand for steel created boom towns such as Airdrie, Coatbridge, Mossend and Wishaw. By 1911 Scottish steel towns were producing over one million tonnes each year.
In Dundee over seventy jute mills employed tens of thousands of people, especially women. The spread of railways allowed fresh fish to be transported across Britain with the result that many fishing ports, such as eyemouth, began to prosper.
There were signs that all was not well with the Scottish and British economies before The Scottish economy relied on overseas markets: international trade was vital.
In the case of coal mining, new industries such as oil, gas production and electricity cut demand for coal in peoples homes. Foreign competition took away markets. Mine owners were slow to invest in new, more efficient technology.
Each was dependent on the other’s success. That was one of the causes of Scotland’s difficulties after the great War. By 1914 it was clear that the world was buying less from Scotland. If trade was disrupted and even export markets were lost, the Scottish economy would suffer. For example, shipbuilding depended heavily on international trade, carrying Scottish exports around the world.
The Liberals dominated Scottish politics before The other parties-Conservatives, the Labour Party and the Unionists-posed no real threat to them. In 1910, the Liberals won fifty seven out of seventy Scottish seats.
The Liberals claimed to represent the best interests of working and middle class men. Liberals were against big landowners, and that won them votes in the Highlands.
Liberals also supported new laws to help people who were poor through no fault of their own. Liberial social reforms between 1906 and 1911 helped the young, the old, the sick and the unemployed.