 War affected Britain’s ability to trade. Loss of markets had a long term effect on industry

 Concentration on a narrow group of heavy industries meant Scotland was affected badly when the post-war boom turned into a slump. Exemplification, such as decline in shipbuilding

 Dundee jute companies saw price collapse with removal of trade restrictions on India

 The textile industry in Scotland had a varied experience – wool price rose but falling exports of cotton and woollen goods.

Points from Recall which offer a wider contextualisation such as:

Initial effects of the war such as:

 War delayed long-standing structural problems for the Scottish economy and its reliance on a narrow range of heavy industries that were reliant on exports

 Initial post-war boom in some industries like ship-building – warship yards built passenger liners and merchant ships to replace those lost

 Mines were nationalised and the miners made good wages. After the war the mines returned to their original owners. Lack of investment and fierce foreign competition resulted in decline

 The Admiralty cancelled the cost-plus system and went back to competitive tendering for orders: The demand for ships, and therefore steel, declined

 Yards suffered because of labour disputes and a shortage of material

 Wages were cut in autumn of 1921, men were laid off and Yarrow’s closed. Industrial unrest and late delivery of ships damaged the Clyde’s reputation

 Other countries increased their steel-making as well as their ship-building capacity. Falling demand for ships affected steel

 Jute prices collapsed after the war. Trade restrictions removed. Competition from abroad. Resulting in unemployment, social misery and discontent

 In Dundee, several firms went into liquidation others amalgamated, to form Jute Industries Ltd

 The collapse of foreign markets for herring from Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Russia and the Baltic greatly affected the industry. European countries started to compete

 Cheap foreign imports of food like refrigerated meat from Argentina and frozen lamb and tinned fruit from Australia and New Zealand competed with indigenous agriculture when trade was resumed after the war

	Created by xo almost 11 years ago

Note on hist paper 2 , created by xo on 15/12/2013.

hist paper 2