In 2014, Scotland voters were asked to answer "yes" or "no" to the question of "whether Scotland should become an independent country", and the Scotland "de-British" referendum was officially held.
A total of 84.6% of voters participated in this historic vote that decided the future of Scotland, with 55.3% of them voting against and 44.7% of them voting in favor.
Scotland remains in the UK.
Although the referendum failed, the Scottish National Party, which strongly advocated "breaking away from the UK", has not given up and has repeatedly made independence.
In terms of domestic policy, the National Party criticized the coalition government for reducing the budget deficit to reduce the welfare level of Scottish people, and its welfare policy was difficult to maintain because it did not give Scottish local governments complete fiscal power.
In terms of foreign policy, the National Party calls for the withdrawal of Scottish troops in Iraq , the withdrawal of nuclear weapons in the Scottish waters, and respect the wishes of the Scottish people.
National Party also attempts to evoke the historical memory of the Scottish people by criticizing the chaotic British royal family and persuade the people to get rid of this "dirty" UK.
In fact, "get rid of the UK" has always been the long-cherished wish of some Scottish people and has never changed for hundreds of years.
However, Britain has a great family and strong economic strength. Why does Scotland still have to make independence? What kind of hatred does Scotland and Britain have? Amidst hatred, how did the British royal family interpret the "chaos" vividly?
(Scottish Highlands)
1. The initial evil British and Soviet Union, Edward I ambitions
Before the 11th century, although Britain and Soviet Union lived together on the same island, they were completely independent and had no connection.
But after 1066, England has been committed to expanding territory on British Isles — Wales and Ireland were conquered one after another, while Scotland, located north of England, has always refused to surrender.
Compared with Wales, Scotland is farther from England, and compared with Ireland, Scotland is more unified than Ireland. Therefore, it is easier for Scotland to maintain its independence when it resists England.
In the 12th to 13th centuries, Scotland became a member of the European political stage through its marriage with the mainland royal family, which was conducive to Scotland maintaining its relative independence.
It is precisely because of Scotland's national independence that the monarchs of England have always been worried about them, which has strengthened their determination to conquer Scotland.
At that time, it was the golden age of the reign of Kings of Scotland Alexander II and Alexander III.
(Soviet and English location map)
Alexander II once took Northumberia and Canberran, which belonged to the English territory. Scotland's behavior made England very dissatisfied.
At this point, the confrontation between the two kingdoms of the British Islands was officially formed, and hatred was formed.
In addition to the confrontation, the two countries magically maintained a relative balance. Until 1238, the balance situation was broken - Scotland began to show goodwill to France, which naturally aroused dissatisfaction from England.
In this year, Alexander II's wife passed away, and the Scottish royal family was no successor.
In order to solve this problem and to establish a good relationship with France, Alexander II proposed a marriage to France. The following year, he married the daughter of the French nobles.
England was angered by Scotland's pro-French behavior, so it blocked the land and sea trade between Scotland and England.
This behavior has brought great trouble to Scotland.
(England)
In order to alleviate this situation, Alexander II announced his surrender to the King of England and arranged for his son to engage in the daughter of King of England Henry III.
1249, Alexander III, who was only 8 years old, became king, and Alexander III, as an adult, fulfilled his engagement. The result of the marriage was that England and Scotland achieved lasting peace in the 13th century.
The last king of the Canmore Dynasty in Scotland, Margaret, died in 1290, and the Canmore Dynasty was extinct.
The end of the Canmore Dynasty provided England with an excellent opportunity to control Scotland. It was this opportunity that Edward I, known as the "Scottish Hammer", was able to support Barrio in 1292 as the Supreme Sect Master of Scotland. Inheriting the Scottish throne - 's random support also became the beginning of chaos in the British royal family.
Edward I supported Barrio's succession to achieve a merger between the two countries, but the plan often cannot keep up with the changes. He soon discovered that it was impossible to complete the merger between the two countries through Barrio.
2. The Soviet Union and France formed an alliance, and the Scotland issue was stagnant
1294, England unexpectedly went to war with France. When England and France were fighting, high anti-British sentiment arose in Scotland.
(Edward I)
The main reason for this situation was that Edward I asked Barrio to be loyal to him, which aroused the resistance of Scotland.
Faced with England with great ambitions, Scotland officially formed an alliance with France in 1295 in order to maintain its independence.
From then on, Scotland stood on the chariot of France.
Faced with the alliance between Scotland and France, England, which was frustrated in Britain and France war , felt a huge threat.
Scotland's alliance with France is equivalent to opening the door to invading England for France. France can not only invade England from southern Scotland, but in order to make England uneasy, France may also enter Ireland through Scotland.
In order to avoid this situation, Edward I brazenly advanced into the heart of Scotland, forcing Barrio to abdicate.
The Scottish people could not bear this insult and fought, leading the Scottish War of Independence that lasted for more than half a century - the hatred of Soviet and British was deeply formed.
Two famous national heroes William Wallace and Robert Bruce also stood out in the Scottish War of Independence.
(William Wallace)
1314, the Scottish army defeated the English army and won the victory of the First War of Independence.
The Scottish people won independence and freedom, and the glory of victory has remained in the memory of the Scottish nation.
At the same time, the war also deepened Scotland's cherishment of independence and hostility towards English .
English monarch Edward III After the throne, he launched a war of conquest against Scotland again. Scotland resisted tenaciously, and the war ended with England's failure.
Scotland and England signed the Treaty of Northampton, and England officially recognized Scotland as an independent country. The signing of the treaty
puts the two countries in a period of peace, but this peace is only temporary.
1333, Edward III broke the contract and led his army to siege Scotland. The Second War of Independence broke out in Scotland.
The English army defeated the Scottish army at Mount Harriton, Scotland was defeated and the king was captured. As long as Scotland pays a huge ransom, England will release the Scottish king.
(Hundred Years of War in Britain and France)
However, during this period, Britain and France had tense relations. England launched a war against France using the issue of inheritance of the throne of the Cape Dynasty as an excuse. This war is the famous British and French Hundred Years of War in history.
This war lasted from 1337 to 1453. In order to avoid Scotland's support for France, England formulated a treaty with Scotland that was in the interests of Scotland and released King David II of Scotland, and Scotland could pay a huge ransom in installments.
So far, the relationship between Scotland and England has eased slightly. But France's alliance with Scotland still exists, and England is still under the threat of a two-national alliance.
For this reason, breaking up the alliance between Scotland and France at any cost has become the primary problem that England has solved, which has created a thousand-year-old hatred between the two countries.
If England wants to break up the alliance between Scotland and France, there is and only one way, namely, control or conquer Scotland.
Split the alliance between Scotland and France gradually replaced pure territorial expansion, becoming the main reason for England's conquest of Scotland.
Because Scotland has a strong national independence mentality, it is not that easy to control or conquer Scotland. England made great efforts in controlling or conquering Scotland, but it was still unable to control Scotland.
(Scotland)
For England, since it is not clear enough, I have to do it.
3. Continuation of chaos: The marriage of the royal family
However, shortly after Henry VIII ascended the throne, James IV attempted to break the contract and restored alliance with France.
Henry VIII, who was fighting in France, was afraid of being attacked from both sides, so he sent Count Sali to the north to fight Scotland, which was the Battle of Floden.
This is the most brutal war in Scottish history. The king was defeated and died, and the ministers were corpsed in the court.
But the war did not surrender to Scotland, and England did not conquer or control Scotland.
As the book "The Tudor British Manual" written by Robert Littler and Norman Jones said:
"No matter how many times Scotland was defeated by England, England cannot conquer Scotland through war."
After the Battle of Floden, the newly succeeded Scotland King James V is still in infancy. Although the regent Duke of Alberney is a representative of pro-French forces, he still strives to keep Scotland and England peaceful for more than 20 years. .
(Scotland)
This peaceful period has contributed to the rest and recuperation of the two countries.
When James V grew up, he seemed to be infected with the "chaos" of the English royal family. It also seemed to be in order to preserve Scotland. He married Derene, the daughter of King Francis I, and Mary, the daughter of Duke of Gith. His tendency to be close to France is increasing. obvious.
1542, Henry VIII invaded Scotland again, and James V committed suicide in shame due to a crushing defeat. Mary Stuart, who was only 6 days old, inherited the throne.
In order to effectively carry out the war with France, Henry VIII had to settle Scotland.
This treaty temporarily eased relations between Scotland and England, but did not bring long-term peace to the two countries.
After Henry VIII's death, the Earl of Hertford of England led his army to loot Edinburgh and Lothian. England and Scotland turned against each other, giving France an opportunity to win over Scotland, and the two countries resumed their alliance relations. .
(Henry VIII)
After Henry VIII's death, Scotland and France became closer.
Faced with such a situation, England is in a mess, and the relationship between the two countries is also very tense.
Until the late 1650s, the Protestant uprising in Scotland brought a turning point to Soviet-UK relations.
Queen Elizabeth provided effective assistance to Scots Protestants, and Scottish Protestants won.
After that, Scotland established a Protestant government, which began to make good friends with England, and the relationship between the two countries began to undergo a qualitative change.
4. Peace brought by war: merger and unification
1603, England and Scotland ended their hostile state before the mid-16th century and entered the period of the Communist King.
Although the two countries share the same position, they maintain their own independence in other aspects.
(James I)
Whether in Scotland or England, James I's succession to the throne of England has not caused any controversy.
As the communist king of the two countries, James I hopes that the two kingdoms can achieve complete unity, and hopes that when he dies, he can leave "a unified God's faith, a unified kingdom, and a unified law" to future generations.
However, this is just what he hopes to achieve. After all, there is an insurmountable gap between ideals and reality.
To cross this gap, at the beginning of his succession, in May 1603, within weeks of his arrival in London, he paved the way for his "hope".
This joint announcement not only did not attract attention in Scotland, but also did not show any ripples in England.
1625, James I passed away, and his son Charles I appeared on the stage of history.
When Charles I succeeded to the throne, he issued an order to Scotland to take back the land that had been granted to the Scottish nobles. This move made him lose the support of the Scottish nobles.
(Charles I)
Not only that, during his reign, Charles I tried to unify the churches of both countries, but he lacked James I's political experience, and his methods were radical and risky. The radical religious policy further aroused the rebellion in Scotland and eventually broke out the Scottish people's uprising.
In order to deal with the development of the situation in Scotland, Charles I's reckless move to tax England aroused strong opposition from the English Parliament, and eventually triggered the English Revolution and Civil War.
1648, the parliamentary army of Cromwell defeated the Presbyterian army of Scotland, conquered Scotland with military means, incorporated Scotland into England, and became a republic.
The two countries are no longer in a situation where they are co-ministered and divided, but a unified country.
And during this period, free trade was established between Scotland and England, but due to the civil war and the heavy taxes levied by England in order to obtain full benefits from commercial union, Scotland has become extremely poor.
No matter what, a comprehensive merger was reached during the Republic period. Scotland and England were a country, and were managed uniformly by the Duke of Guardians.
Although Scotland and England were slightly tense during the Charles I period, the two countries still supported a king under the framework of unity of the throne. Even if there is a dispute, they will not be hostile to each other as before the mid-16th century, and they will not stand in the camp of the opponent's enemies.
(Cromwell)
Although the conquest of the Cromwell era hurt Scotland's national sentiment to a certain extent, Scotland and England are the same country.
In short, although the rule of Charles I and Cromwell hurts Scottish national sentiment, the relationship between the two countries is still peaceful compared to the hostile relations before the mid-16th century.
With the collapse of the national protection system and the restoration of the royal power, the merger of the two countries during the Cromwell period also failed.
The relationship between the two countries also returned to a state of unity under the throne, but the Scottish Parliament lost the freedom claimed in 1641, and Scotland retreated before the revolution against Charles I.
The Communist king in England managed Scotland through Privy Council and Parliament. The appointments of officials were issued by London, which is equivalent to the internal affairs and diplomacy of Scotland being controlled by England. Scotland's administrative organs are equivalent to England's puppets. It's just a decoration. After the glorious revolution , King James II abdicated and the throne was inherited by Mary and her husband William.
After a series of discussions, the Scottish Parliament supported England's decision. Therefore, the two countries in the late 17th century were still in a state of unity of the throne.
(Scotland)
However, the crisis emerged again 200 years later.
5. Scotland of development: Independence became the slogan
In more than 200 years after the union, Scotland developed from an agricultural society to a world-renowned industrial society, and the speed of urbanization and economic change exceeded that of its southern neighbor England.
1859, the Liberal Party , which pursues the cause of autonomy, was founded.
This party is regarded as a "progressive, reformed, and free" party in Scotland, and has therefore been favored by the Scottish people.
As a descendant of the Scots, former British Prime Minister and then Liberal Party leader William Yult Gladstone believes that non-English people on the British Isles should be given more autonomy.
But the failure of Irish autonomy brought about the division of the Liberal Party and sounded the alarm for Scottish autonomy.
Although the Scottish National Party actively participated in the election after its formal establishment, its development did not go smoothly.
"The National Party lacks sufficient attractiveness to the mainstream social class in Scotland and has not formed a systematic policy program. It is still a marginalized 'single issue' party to a large extent."
(Scotland)
In addition In addition, its development is intertwined with the Scottish economy.
The party was favored during the recession and the Great Depression; the party was neglected when the economy recovered.
In 1939, although the voices of support for war within the Scottish National Party overwhelmed the anti-war voices, the anti-war attitude was not accepted by the Scottish people. This seriously affected the party's image among the Scottish people.
This intra-party disagreement of the National Party has widened the gap between the party's autonomy and independenceists, and has led to the withdrawal of the elites who advocated autonomy, making independence a mainstream opinion within the National Party.
Early after World War II, the Scottish National Party was on a very marginal position in Scottish politics.
But in the decade after the 1959 British election, "the Scottish National Party achieved the transition from a 'inflexible small political faction' to an organized party aimed at winning the election."
Autonomy or independence in Scotland On the issue, the Scottish National Party gradually established an independent party policy, inciting the separation of the Scottish people by highlighting the opposition and contradiction between Scottish national identity and national identity.
In September 1970, an oil field was discovered in the Beihai area. On the issue of North Sea Oilfield , the Scottish National Party aroused the Scottish people's sense of ethnic identity through oil-related campaign slogans.
The National Party used "This is Scottish oil" in 1972, and in 1974 it used "being rich Scots or poor British".
Scotland National Party declared, “If Scotland has sovereignty like Norwegian , then according to international law, the Scots will have North Sea oil fields distributed along the northern and western coasts of Scotland, and if not independent, 90% of the oil will pass through the London government Belongs to the Englishman”.
As Salmond declares that "Scotland is an abnormal phenomenon, a stateless country", and only independence is its destiny.
In the 2007 general election, Scotland's campaign manifesto was "Scottish National Party: It's time (SNP, It's time).
In November 2013, local governments released the white paper "The Future of Scotland: Your Guide to Scottish Independence".
It mentions, "If we vote for it, we take the next step in our journey to Scotland. We will move forward with confidence... If we vote against it, Scotland will be on the spot. We lose it A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."
can be seen that the long-standing grudges have completely made the Soviet and British intervene, and historical factors have become the only guide for the Scots to pursue independence.
Conclusion:
The Scottish National Party’s road to fighting for independence is not smooth.
If the Scottish National Party wants to successfully promote the independence movement, it will inevitably be opposed by major political parties such as the Conservative Party , Labour Party and Liberal Democratic Party , especially these parties occupy the main discourse in British Parliament , . right.
In the lobbying movement of the independence referendum, the three political parties formed short-term cooperation, and some members of the political party formed a private referendum lobbying organization, put forward the slogan of "better together", and "Scotland" with the Scottish National Party (Yes, Scotland) Movement relative.
Therefore, it is difficult for the Scottish National Party to compete with the other three major political parties on the issue of independence in the national parliament. These factors have made Scotland free from the cost, and it will be difficult for the Scottish National Party to carry out independence movements.
Scotland's road to independence is scattered and its future is uncertain.
Reference:
Hu Li: "Party political mobilization and national separatism - the role of the Scottish National Party in the formation of the Scottish separation situation", published in "International Political Research" 2020 Issue 2, 59-83+6- 7 pages.
Li Jishi: "The Battle between British Party Politics and Scottish Independence", published in "Contemporary World Socialism Issue", No. 4, 2014, pp. 92-104.
Liu Hong: "Scottish referendum and nationalist political thought", published in "World Nation" 2014 No. 6, pp. 1-9.
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