A city invincible? Edinburgh and the war against Revolutionary France

First paragraph: Edinburgh was the most important centre of Scottish liberal andradical politics in the early months of the war against Revolutionary France inthe 1790s, and opposition to the war and to government policy continued to beexpressed in the city throughout the decade. Nevertheless, during the war theburgh authorities of Edinburgh sought to present their town as 'a cityinvincible', a stronghold of civic pride and of national loyalism and patriotismagainst domestic and foreign enemies. This paper examines their efforts and thereasons why they largely succeeded in doing so. It begins by discussing theposition in which the elite of Edinburgh found themselves at the end of theeighteenth century, their concerns during the war, and the tactics they adopted.It then examines pro-war behaviour and dissension in the city. It argues thatnot only were the radical and liberal oppositions too small, too immature andtoo easily intimidated to resist the conservative civic elite, as has previouslybeen argued, but also that they were too easily distracted from opposing thewar, and that popular opposition to the war was too unreliable, to controvertgreatly the image created for the city by its authorities. The war was thereforeyet another aspect of public life that helped to build up and consolidate thestatus of propertied Scotsmen as well as Englishmen