Facing the bear : Scotland and the cold war / Trevor Royle

Royle, Trevor [author]

ISBN 10: 1780275269 / ISBN 13: 9781780275260

Published by Edinburgh : Birlinn, 2019

About this Item

Fine cloth copy in a near-fine, very slightly edge-dulled dust wrapper. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description; 320 pages. Notes; Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-294) and index. Contents; Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Plates -- Picture Credits -- List of Abbreviations -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- Prologue: Saxa Vord -- 1. Last Shots, First Shots -- 2. When Cold War Became Hot War -- 3. The Yanks Are Coming -- 4. Frontline Scotland -- 5. Ding Dong Dollar: Opposing Armageddon -- 6. The Past Is a Foreign Country: Families on the Front Line -- 7. The Watch on the Rhine: Scots in Germany and on Other Fronts -- 8. Ploughshares into Swords: Profiting from the Cold War -- 9. War in the Shadows -- 10. Trident and Thatcher -- 11. The Walls Came Tumbling Down -- Epilogue: A New Cold War? -- Notes -- Select Bibliography -- Index -- Plates. Subjects; Cold War. European history. Scotland History 20th century. Scotland Politics and government 20th century. Great Britain History, Military 20th century. 3 Kg.

Seller Inventory # 437449

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Facing the bear : Scotland and the cold war / Trevor Royle
• Publisher: Edinburgh : Birlinn
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1780275269
• ISBN 13: 9781780275260
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Weight: 3 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

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 defence strategy, aimed at containing the Soviet threat from naval and air forces. During this period 10 per cent of the UK’s naval and air forces were based in Scotland, and there was a substantial US presence as well as top secret satellite and command stations.

In this book Trevor Royle paints a fascinating portrait of this extraordinary period, examining not just the wider military and political contexts, but also showing how the defence 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.

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.