Editing Scotland (section)

=== World wars and Scotland Act 1998 ===
[[File:Bagpiper Battle of Bazentin Ridge 14-07-1916 IWM Q 4012.jpg|thumb|right|A piper of the [[Seaforth Highlanders]] leads the [[26th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|26th Brigade]] back from the trenches during the [[Battle of Bazentin Ridge]], July 1916]]

Scotland played a major role in the [[History of the United Kingdom during the First World War|British effort]] in the [[First World War]]. It especially provided manpower, ships, machinery, fish and money.<ref>Richard J. Finlay, ''Modern Scotland 1914–2000'' (2006), pp 1–33</ref> With a population of 4.8&nbsp;million in 1911, Scotland sent over half a million men to the war, of whom over a quarter died in combat or from disease, and 150,000 were seriously wounded.<ref>R. A. Houston and W. W. J. Knox, eds. ''The New Penguin History of Scotland'' (2001) p 426.[https://books.google.com/books?id=VI5nAAAAMAAJ&q=casualties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610011816/https://books.google.com/books?id=VI5nAAAAMAAJ&q=casualties|date=10 June 2024}} [[Niall Ferguson]] points out in "The Pity of War" that the proportion of enlisted Scots who died was third highest in the war behind Serbia and Turkey and a much higher proportion than in other parts of the UK.[https://books.google.com/books?id=QrYhAQAAIAAJ&q=enlisted] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404004726/https://books.google.com/books?id=QrYhAQAAIAAJ&q=enlisted|date=4 April 2023}} [http://news.scotsman.com/worldwarone/39Savage-Scots39-wish-you-weren39t.6487746.jp] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005094654/http://news.scotsman.com/worldwarone/39Savage-Scots39-wish-you-weren39t.6487746.jp|date=5 October 2010}}</ref> [[Field Marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] [[Douglas Haig|Sir Douglas Haig]] was Britain's commander on the Western Front. The war saw the emergence of a radical movement called "[[Red Clydeside]]" led by militant trades unionists. Formerly a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] stronghold, the industrial districts switched to [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] by 1922, with a base among the [[Irish Catholic]] working-class districts. Women were especially active in building neighbourhood solidarity on housing issues. The "Reds" operated within the Labour Party with little influence in Parliament and the mood changed to passive despair by the late 1920s.<ref>Iain McLean, ''The Legend of Red Clydeside'' (1983)</ref>

During the Second World War, Scotland was targeted by [[Nazi Germany]] largely due to its factories, shipyards, and coal mines.<ref name="blitz">{{Cite web |title=Primary History – World War 2 – Scotland's Blitz |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/scotlands_blitz |access-date=1 August 2018 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=12 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812052942/http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/scotlands_blitz/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cities such as [[Glasgow]] and [[Edinburgh]] were targeted by German bombers, as were smaller towns mostly located in the central belt of the country.<ref name="blitz" /> Perhaps the most significant air raid in Scotland was the [[Clydebank Blitz]] of March 1941, which intended to destroy naval shipbuilding in the area.<ref name="Clydebank blitz">{{Cite web |title=Scotland's Landscape : Clydebank Blitz |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/landscapes/clydebank_blitz |access-date=1 August 2018 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=20 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020053750/http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/landscapes/clydebank_blitz/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 528 people were killed and 4,000 homes destroyed.<ref name="Clydebank blitz" /> Perhaps Scotland's most unusual wartime episode occurred in 1941 when [[Rudolf Hess]] flew to Renfrewshire, possibly intending to broker a peace deal through the [[Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton|Duke of Hamilton]].<ref>J. Leasor ''Rudolf Hess: The Uninvited Envoy'' (Kelly Bray: House of Stratus, 2001), {{ISBN|0-7551-0041-7}}, p. 15.</ref> Before his departure from Germany, Hess had given his adjutant, [[Karlheinz Pintsch]], a letter addressed to [[Adolf Hitler]] that detailed his intentions to open peace negotiations with the British. Pintsch delivered the letter to Hitler at the Berghof around noon on 11 May.{{Sfn|Evans|2008|p=168}} [[Albert Speer]] later said Hitler described Hess's departure as one of the worst personal blows of his life, as he considered it a personal betrayal.{{Sfn|Sereny|1996|p=240}} Hitler worried that his allies, Italy and Japan, would perceive Hess's act as an attempt by Hitler to secretly open peace negotiations with the British.

[[File:Pan Am Flight 103. Crashed Lockerbie, Scotland, 21 December 1988.jpg|thumb|left|The explosion of [[Pan Am Flight 103]] over Lockerbie remains the deadliest act of terror in the United Kingdom]] 

After 1945, Scotland's economic situation worsened due to overseas competition, inefficient industry, and industrial disputes.<ref>Harvie, Christopher ''No Gods and Precious Few Heroes'' (Edward Arnold, 1989) pp 54–63.</ref> Only in recent decades has the country enjoyed something of a cultural and economic renaissance. Economic factors contributing to this recovery included a resurgent financial services industry, [[electronics manufacturing]], (see [[Silicon Glen]]),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stewart |first=Heather |date=6 May 2007 |title=Celtic Tiger Burns Brighter at Holyrood |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/comment/0,,2073303,00.html |work=[[The Guardian]] |oclc=60623878 |access-date=27 June 2007 |archive-date=24 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424021705/http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/may/06/scottishparliament.devolution |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[North Sea oil]] and gas industry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Planning Framework for Scotland |url=http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2004/04/19170/35326 |access-date=17 September 2014 |website=Gov.scot |date=April 2004 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090543/http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2004/04/19170/35326 |url-status=live }}</ref> The introduction in 1989 by Margaret Thatcher's government of the [[Poll tax (Great Britain)|Community Charge]] (widely known as the Poll Tax) one year before the rest of Great Britain,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Torrance |first=David |author-link=David Torrance (journalist) |date=30 March 2009 |title=Modern myth of a poll tax test-bed lives on |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/david-torrance-modern-myth-of-a-poll-tax-test-bed-lives-on-1-1031968 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044226/http://www.scotsman.com/news/david-torrance-modern-myth-of-a-poll-tax-test-bed-lives-on-1-1031968 |archive-date=20 September 2017 |access-date=19 September 2017 |newspaper=The Scotsman}}</ref> contributed to a growing movement for Scottish control over domestic affairs.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 April 2009 |title=The poll tax in Scotland 20 years on |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7976782.stm |access-date=17 September 2014 |archive-date=8 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808200804/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7976782.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> On 21 December 1988, [[Pan Am Flight 103]] exploded mid–air over the town of [[Lockerbie]], killing all on board as well as eleven Lockerbie residents. It remains the deadliest [[Terrorism in the United Kingdom|terrorist attack in the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lockerbie tragedy: 35th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 |url=https://news.sky.com/story/lockerbie-tragedy-35th-anniversary-of-the-bombing-of-pan-am-flight-103-13033448 |website=Sky News |access-date=19 October 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

Following a [[Scottish devolution referendum, 1997|referendum on devolution proposals in 1997]], the [[Scotland Act 1998]]<ref>[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980046_en_1 "Scotland Act 1998"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215190729/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/46/contents |date=15 February 2013 }}, Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 22 April 2008.</ref> was passed by the British Parliament, which established a devolved [[Scottish Parliament]] and [[Scottish Government]] with responsibility for most laws specific to Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.scot/About/Factfile/18060/11552 |url-status=dead |title=Devolution > Scottish responsibilities |website=Scottish Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301080012/http://www.gov.scot/About/Factfile/18060/11552 |archive-date=1 March 2017}}</ref> The Scottish Parliament was reconvened in [[Edinburgh]] on 4 July 1999.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 July 1999 |title=Special Report &#124; 1999 &#124; 06/99 &#124; Scottish Parliament opening &#124; Scotland's day of history |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/06/99/scottish_parliament_opening/382490.stm |access-date=1 August 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612220844/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/06/99/scottish_parliament_opening/382490.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The first to hold the office of [[first minister of Scotland]] was [[Donald Dewar]], who served until his sudden death in 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 October 2000 |title=Donald Dewar dies after fall |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donald-dewar-dies-after-fall-634695.html |access-date=1 August 2018 |archive-date=1 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801225425/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donald-dewar-dies-after-fall-634695.html |url-status=live }}</ref>