Scottish independence
Scottish independence refers to the political movement advocating for Scotland to become a sovereign nation, separate from the United Kingdom. The roots of this movement can be traced back to historical struggles for autonomy, notably during the 1300s when figures like Robert the Bruce fought for Scotland's independence. The political landscape shifted significantly in 1707 with the Act of Union, which merged Scotland and England into Great Britain, leading to a gradual erosion of Scottish governance and increasing dissatisfaction among the Scottish populace.
The modern independence movement gained traction in the 20th century, particularly with the formation of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1934. A significant milestone occurred in 1997 when Scotland was granted a devolved Parliament with limited powers, allowing for local governance on various issues. This set the stage for a pivotal referendum in 2014, where 55% of voters chose to remain part of the UK, although the independence sentiment remained strong, with nearly half of the population favoring independence. Following the UK's 2016 decision to leave the European Union, discussions around a potential second referendum gained momentum, as many Scots opposed this decision and felt their interests were not adequately represented. The quest for independence continues to evoke diverse perspectives and remains a significant aspect of Scotland's political discourse.
Scottish independence
The Scottish independence movement is an ongoing political campaign that holds that Scotland should become independent of the United Kingdom. The issue of Scottish independence arose prominently in the Middle Ages and continued being debated into the 2010s. Scotland's 2014 referendum on the question resulted in the country remaining part of the United Kingdom. However, nearly half of the Scottish population at that time still favored independence.
History of the Movement
Before the early 1300s CE, Scotland had several times drifted in and out of control of powerful England, its southern neighbor on the western European island of Great Britain. In 1306, the Scottish warrior Robert the Bruce (or Robert I) usurped the Scottish throne and began systematically driving the English out of Scotland. By 1314, Robert's superior Scottish army had soundly defeated England's weak and disorganized forces in the Battle of Bannockburn, and Scotland claimed its independence from England that year.
For the next several hundred years, Scotland remained an independent kingdom, ruled by its own line of kings and queens who succeeded Robert the Bruce. An early sign of change to this dynamic appeared in Scotland in 1603 with what became known as the Union of the Crowns. That year, Queen Elizabeth I of England died without leaving any direct heir to her throne. The monarchy of England therefore passed to James VI of Scotland, whose deceased mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, had been Elizabeth's cousin. Although James relocated to London to become King James I of England, he simultaneously retained his rule over Scotland while keeping the governments, laws, and currencies of the two kingdoms separate.
For the remainder of his reign, James attempted to unite England and Scotland under one collective rule. This did not occur in his lifetime or for the rest of the 1600s, as multiple proposals to unite with Scotland were either rejected or abandoned by the English Parliament into the early 1700s. However, the arrival of the new century brought several changes to England that forced it to reconsider its stance on uniting with Scotland.
England had simultaneously involved itself in wars with both France and Spain and as a result soon found itself in dire economic straits. It was also suffering from a population shortage that could otherwise have paid taxes to fund the war efforts or filled the thinning ranks of the English army. As a solution to these woes, England turned to Scotland, which contained a great number of potential taxpaying citizens and military men.
With the somewhat reluctant agreement of Scotland, which was hoping to secure financial stability for itself by joining with England, the English Parliament passed the Act of Union in 1707. This document joined Scotland to England to form a new political entity known as Great Britain. The act stated that Scotland's Parliament would be absorbed into the new British Parliament with only minimal Scottish representation. This was greatly inferior to Scotland's ideal conditions for the union, but it accepted it nonetheless.
Soon the Scottish people became dissatisfied with British rule, as the economic recovery they had been expecting did not arrive quickly enough. In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie, the great-grandson of James VI of Scotland, attempted to wrest control of England and Scotland from Great Britain but was summarily defeated at the 1746 Battle of Culloden. In punishment, Great Britain imposed a series of strict laws on Scotland. It was not for another two hundred years that the issue of Scottish independence would arise again.
Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
Some factions of the Scottish population had always clung firmly to the idea of breaking free from what eventually came to be known as the United Kingdom. In 1934, some of these activists formed the Scottish National Party (SNP) to push for this independence. The movement gradually became more popular as the century continued.
Finally, in 1997, the United Kingdom allowed Scotland to hold a referendum on taking on a limited degree of independence. The Scottish population ultimately supported certain governmental powers being devolved from the United Kingdom's Parliament to Scotland's newly formed Parliament, its first in nearly three hundred years.
This devolution of powers involved the United Kingdom allowing Scotland to control numerous aspects of its government that had formerly been managed from England. Now, the new Scottish Parliament could create legislation relating to health care, criminal justice, agriculture, and tourism, though the United Kingdom still controlled Scotland's national defense, foreign policy, and social security.
Scotland retained this relationship with the larger United Kingdom for another seventeen years before raising the issue of independence again in 2014, saying that the Scottish Parliament deserved more authority over its own country. Consequently, the Scottish National Party, which held power in Scotland's government at the time, set a national referendum on whether Scotland should become an independent nation for September 2014.
In the months leading up to the vote, United Kingdom prime minister David Cameron warned Scotland that acquiring independence would mean losing various benefits of being part of the more powerful United Kingdom, which possessed more resources for defending Scotland's national security. Queen Elizabeth II refused to comment on the decision. Meanwhile, a great media buzz surrounded the approaching vote, with various British politicians and celebrities taking public stands on each side of the issue.
The vote on September 18, 2014, resulted in Scotland remaining part of the United Kingdom. Fifty-five percent of Scottish citizens supported a continued union as opposed to the forty-five percent who favored independence. Following the referendum, Cameron expressed his happiness with the decision and vowed to grant Scotland the additional legislative powers it had been requesting. Despite unhappiness among those who had supported independence, Scotland remained mostly peaceful and politically stable after the vote.
At the same time, Great Britain's decision following a vote in 2016 to leave the European Union (EU) reignited some Scottish independence fervor once more, especially from the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who claimed that as Scotland had been opposed to leaving the EU, the British government had essentially failed to uphold promises that it had made to Scotland in the referendum. During speeches, Sturgeon even hinted at seeking support for a second independence referendum to rectify the situation, which she believed would inevitably harm Scotland's economy.
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