Commonwealth to Protectorate

by Austin Woolrych

"This is, unmistakably, the work of a master historian, intended to endure."--London Review of Books. Studying one major episode can reveal its influence on the whole course of politics that ensued. The theme of this enlightening volume by a respected professor and historian is nothing less than the demise of the English republic and the eventual emergence of the quasi-monarchy of Cromwell's Protectorate. In particular, it unearths the reasons why the ideal of a republic, ruled by the people's nominated representatives, failed to take root in England.

Genres: History

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very intensive study of the period of Barebones Parliament to answer the question whether its unrealistic religous radicalism lay at the heart of Cromwell's abandonment of the Commonwealth and establishment of the Protectorate. The conclusion is no: Barebones floundered because the issues it confronted could not be resolved within the framework of a parliamentary system which presumed a balance between conservative interests and reformism.
This is a book for people already expert on the English Revolution who would already know the significance of things like Pride's Purge and what people like Lambert and Harrison stood for. I didn't - or at least not in the detail required, and so the significance of a lot mof the episodes presented were lost on me.
Basically a book for historians of the period, right down to its approach to the methodology of historical research.

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent treatment of a little-covered historical period.