This is a social and cultural history of Scotland's industrial rise and relative decline, concerned above all with the leaders and workers (industrial, political, manufacturing, mining and engineering, as well as religious, union, educational and moral) who produced the first and suffered in the second. Political, social and economic events, movements and trends are welded together in a well-ordered and vivid narrative. It assumes almost no prior knowledge, and introduces the reader gently to the central debates about the nature and course of modern Scottish History. The style is clear and spare - with frequent dry, witty asides; it will be ideal for the student, but will equally appeal to the general reader interested in modern Scottish history. It is illustrated with maps, photographs and drawings, with guides to further reading and a full index.Key Features* The first systematic and economic history of modern Scotland* A vivid chronological narrative account* Generously illustrated with contemporary illustrations