During World War II, Scotland suffered many devastating airstrikes from the Luftwaffe and endured great destruction and loss of life. Around 34,000 people died during the war, and approximately 6,000 civilians were killed, many in air attacks on Clydeside. The war brought death, misery, and destruction to Scotland on a vast scale. But it also helped to make Scots of all classes rub shoulders with each other and give the economy a lift it desperately needed after the dark years of the Depression.
At the end of WWII, the Scottish economy depended heavily on heavy industries such as coal mining, shipbuilding, and steel production. The Scottish Milk Marketing Board helped to boost Scotland’s agricultural productivity. However, Scotland’s traditional industries were outdated. The problems that would turn the country into an industrial wasteland within a couple of generations were already beginning to build up in the background.
