Post War Economic Decline in Scotland (SQA National 5 History): Revision Note

Why was there a post-war decline in industry?

• After the end of the war in 1918, orders for ships stopped

  • Shipyards, steelworks and coal mines in Scotland had far less work

  • Employment in shipbuilding decreased by 90%

• Scotland was overtaken as a major industrial leader

  • Other countries outcompeted Scotland

  • Japan and the USA had newer technologies, including mechanisation and assembly lines

    • These produce goods more efficiently and cheaply

• Scottish plants were old and lacked investment

  • This reduced their competitiveness in the global market

• A global economic slump led to a further decrease in orders

• Coal fields in Lanarkshire and Fife closed or reduced output because energy and steel demand decreased

Impact of the post-war decline

• Unemployment was high in west-central Scotland and Clydeside throughout the 1920s

• Emigration from Scotland to the US and Canada led to population losses in industrial towns