Dundee and the Empire

This book deals with Dundee as a globalized and globalizing city in the early 20th century. How did the people of Dundee respond to the challenges of being the most economically globalized city in the world in the years before the First World War? The answer to this question is complicated by the fact that the aspect of globalization which impacted most directly on the ordinary inhabitants of Dundee was competition in the jute industry from Calcutta, a city within the British Empire of the early 20th century. Dundee had to cope not only with powerful low-wage competition in its staple industry, but the political reality that for decision-makers in London the fate of the British Empire in India was far more important than the economic well-being of a small Scottish city. The history of Dundee's response to these challenges combines global economic history with analysis of imperial relations, including how these issues were understood by ordinary Dundonians, as well as by politicians and policy-makers. This is a new 'global' history of Dundee's industrial era. It combines economic, political and social history. It explores the significance of empire for British policy. It shows how the challenges historically posed by globalization can best be analyzed.