"This book covers the experience of Scottish politics between 1900 and 1999, highlighting the impact of distinctive economic, social and institutional influences in shaping these developments. A rare overview of the century's political evolution is afforded; it does not concentrate exclusively on a handful of colourful episodes like Red Clydeside, but covers periods hitherto understudied.

Neglected themes are also pointed up: for instance, the remarkable strength of Conservatism in Scotland for nearly fifty years in the middle of the century, and the electoral resilience of the Liberal Party. The final chapter deals with the last twenty years, setting the establishment of the Scottish parliament in 1999 in the context both of continuities from previous phases and of the new developments created by the upheavals in British and Scottish politics since 1979.".

"Substantially based on primary source material, this book offers a corrective both to politicians' memoirs and to journalistic instant histories. It will appeal both to general readers and to academic students who are anxious to place the contemporary Scottish political situation in a deeper context."--BOOK JACKET.