Modern Scotland

Industrial Revolution to Today

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Scotland was an intellectual and industrial superpower:

• The Scottish Enlightenment: David Hume (philosophy), Adam Smith (economics, "Wealth of Nations"), James Watt (steam engine) — Edinburgh became the "Athens of the North".
• Industrialization: Glasgow became the "Second City of the Empire" — shipbuilding (the Clyde shipyards built the world's most famous ships), steel, coal, textiles.
• Inventions: Telephone (Alexander Graham Bell), penicillin (Alexander Fleming), television (John Logie Baird), radar, MRI, Dolly the sheep (first cloned mammal) — Scotland has invented an astonishing amount.

Devolution & Independence Debate

In 1997, Scotland voted for its own parliament, which opened in Edinburgh in 1999 — the first Scottish parliament since 1707. In the 2014 independence referendum, 55% voted against and 45% for independence. The Brexit 2016 (which Scotland rejected with 62%) reignited the debate. The question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" remains the central political issue — and you will hear it discussed in every pub.