Alan W. Ertl

Scotland's Road to Independence: the Makings of a State Identity Alan W. Ertl

This book surveys elements that have influenced the Scottish people over time and led to the formation of a distinct sui generis identity. The modern state is an amalgam of people who inhabit a specific given territory, people whose thinking has been formed by circumstances and events which over time, forge a collective identity and establish self-expression and determination. Environmental happenstances, the genetic and intellectual makeup of the people, the overcoming of common challenges, and the interpretation of historical events all play a role in the development of this collective thinking, forming the modern mental structure of a given population. In the case of the Scots, these elements have created an endemic view of the world that is unique and recognizable. This text identifies these influences and traces their development through time as they formed the self-felt identity of the modern nation which has inherited the territory of Scotland. Reviewed herein are some of the main factors which have provoked a natural and correct desire for an independent state in Europe: a Scotland for the Scots.