Facing the Bear: Scotland and the Cold War
Oct 2019 · Birlinn
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502
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About this ebook
The author of Culloden explores Scotland's history during the Cold War.
Between the end of the Second World War and the collapse of Communism, confrontation with the Soviet Union was an everyday reality. As part of NATO's response, Scotland played a key role in the alliance's forward maritime defense strategy, aimed at containing the Soviet threat from naval and air forces. During this period, 10 percent of the UK's naval and air forces were based in Scotland, and there was a substantial U.S. presence, as well as top secret satellite and command stations.
In Facing the Bear, Trevor Royle paints a fascinating portrait of this extraordinary period, examining not just the wider military and political contexts, but also showing how the defense industry brought huge economic benefits, how CND maintained a high-profile presence, and how anti-nuclear sentiments underpinned much of the left's thinking in Scotland and contributed to the hegemony enjoyed by the Labour Party in Scotland during the Cold War.
Praise for Facing the Bear
"Engrossing . . . . Like a military commander at the top of his game, Royle marshals his material to maximum effect to show how Scotland has been shaped by, and also helped shape, the Cold War . . . . He ranges far and wide and has that rare talent to marry the local with the geopolitical . . . . But this is not simply a story of military hardware and confrontation. Royle is very interesting on how the Cold War influenced our cultural life from the novel to poetry and the protest song." —Barclay McBain, The Herald (UK)
Between the end of the Second World War and the collapse of Communism, confrontation with the Soviet Union was an everyday reality. As part of NATO's response, Scotland played a key role in the alliance's forward maritime defense strategy, aimed at containing the Soviet threat from naval and air forces. During this period, 10 percent of the UK's naval and air forces were based in Scotland, and there was a substantial U.S. presence, as well as top secret satellite and command stations.
In Facing the Bear, Trevor Royle paints a fascinating portrait of this extraordinary period, examining not just the wider military and political contexts, but also showing how the defense industry brought huge economic benefits, how CND maintained a high-profile presence, and how anti-nuclear sentiments underpinned much of the left's thinking in Scotland and contributed to the hegemony enjoyed by the Labour Party in Scotland during the Cold War.
Praise for Facing the Bear
"Engrossing . . . . Like a military commander at the top of his game, Royle marshals his material to maximum effect to show how Scotland has been shaped by, and also helped shape, the Cold War . . . . He ranges far and wide and has that rare talent to marry the local with the geopolitical . . . . But this is not simply a story of military hardware and confrontation. Royle is very interesting on how the Cold War influenced our cultural life from the novel to poetry and the protest song." —Barclay McBain, The Herald (UK)
The author of Culloden explores Scotland's history during the Cold War.
Between the end of the Second World War and the collapse of Communism, confrontation with the Soviet Union was an everyday reality. As part of NATO's response, Scotland played a key role in the alliance's forward maritime de...
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About the author
Trevor Royle is a broadcaster and author specialising in the history of war and empire. His most recent books include Patton: Old Blood and Guts and Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638-1660. He is an associate editor of the Sunday Herald and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Trevor Royle is a broadcaster and author specialising in the history of war and empire. His most recent books include Patton: Old Blood and Guts and Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638-1660. He is an associate editor of the Sunday Herald and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
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