Customer Reviews

God's Englishman: Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution

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3 star:		(1)
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When Christopher Hill died in 2003 at the age of 91 the Guardian rightly called him "the commanding interpreter of 17th-century England". Upon publication in 1970 his book `God's Englishman - Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution `, a nuanced biography of Oliver Cromwell, was a bestseller.

Hill leads the reader unsentimentally through Cromwell's life from his beginnings in Huntingdonshire to his brutal end. Hill's Cromwell reaches his apogee in the Commonwealth he helped create and then only grudgingly accepts the `necessity' of the Protectorate. Hill argues that the English Revolution did indeed change the balance of political power between the King and Parliament for good, despite the eventual return of Charles II to the throne.

The book presumes the reader possesses a good bit of knowledge about the English Civil War. References to individual actors, even the less prominent, are often made without context.

Hill was an active Communist up to 1956 when the repression of the Hungarian Revolt led to disenchantment with the Soviets. He remained a Marxist thereafter, suffered blacklisting, but persevered and saw his career reach its great heights. His personal views do not enter into the matter of his biography of Oliver Cromwell.

This book is not for the beginner looking for an introduction to the English Civil War, but the weekend scholar will find it intriguing, especially his analyses in the closing chapters, especially Cromwell's religious views. (Personally, I enjoyed much more Hill's The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas During the English Revolution (Penguin History), a unique study of the revolution's true radicals: the Diggers, the Ranters, the Levellers.) A must read for anyone with a serious interest in the English Civil War.

Indeed this book is for the more advanced reader in English and European History. As stated by another reviewer the latter part of the book certainly becomes most interesting when comparing Cromwell with subsequent British History and other Revolutions in the world, even when compared to 20th century revolutions and it's leaders. I consider this book more than informative, as the book contains many insights into political,social and economical change, and therefore this book is quite educational. Finally let us not forget that this book stresses the importance of Cromwell, how his role influenced England,Britain and later the world.

I don't have a lot to add to the comments of the previous reviewers. Mr. Douglas Wood remarked, "The book presumes the reader possesses a good bit of knowledge about the English Civil War. References to individual actors, even the less prominent, are often made without context." Mr. Clement Hamer added, "Indeed this book is for the more advanced reader in English and European History." I'm just underscoring those remarks and telling you casual readers wanting something compelling and accessible about Cromwell to leave this one for the real students of history who are already very familiar with the historical background. Most of you will be impatient with the author's throwing around names, incidents and issues without explanation, which you've never heard of. For the historian, Hill's book may actually deserve 5 stars. This is NOT your reads-like-a-novel pageturner bringing England's Civil War and its central figure vividly to life. I believe most readers would rate it my 3 stars and many of you lower than that.

You've been forewarned.