Oliver Cromwell

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Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell is one of the most controversial personalities in England's history. Many scientists have been arguing about him for centuries. Some of them assert that Cromwell was a hypocritical and selfish tyrant, rebelling only for the sake of money and fame, while others argue that he was a real revolutionary and fighter for wellbeing of the English nation. Who is right? What is a reasonable evaluation of Cromwell today?

"The English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century was the first revolution on a European scale. It gave a fatal crash for the European feudal system" Unquestionably, Cromwell played a very important role in the England's affairs of that time. As a political and military leader, he had a strong sense of the working of divine providence and incredible strategic thinking. His sincerely held religious views convinced him of the evils of Charles I's regime and the justness of his cause in the Civil War. Political actions of the man were often hesitant at first, then decisive. A simple country gentleman he rose, in the exceptional circumstances of civil war and revolution, to the highest office in the state. Such success showed him that he had God's blessing. His Protectorate was marked by an unusual degree of religious toleration. It provided firm and impartial government as well as united the three nations within the British Isles. The union was based on the military conquest, though. Under Cromwell, England acquired a high reputation abroad.

Charles I was very tolerant to Roman Catholics, but not for the increasing number of Calvinism followers. His religious beliefs and persecutions of those, who opposed the Anglican Church, caused dissatisfaction of many people. Charles' conservat...

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...rta Encyclopedia, 1999 Edition CD-ROM,

Washington: Microsoft Corporation, 1999.

Gaunt, Peter. Oliver Cromwell. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1996.

Hood, Paxton. Oliver Cromwell: His Life, Times, Battlefields, and Contemporaries.

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1892.

Marx, Carl, and Engels, Friedrich. Rinktiniai Raštai Dviem Tomais. (Selected Works

In Two Volumes). Trans. Andrius Staniukenas. Vilnius: Vaga, 1950.

McKay, John P, Hill, Bennet D, and Buckler, John. A History of Western Society.

Fourth Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991/

Pavlova, Tatjana. Kromvelis. Vilnius: Mintis, 1985.

Rempel, Gerhard. Oliver Cromwell: Costitutional Crisis In England. On-line

available. http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu, 16 Aug 1997.

Watson, Nickolas. English Civil War. On-line available.

http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milhist, 9 Oct 1997.

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