A wonderful exposition of the complicated evolution of the Cromwellian Years.
Woolrych, a distinguished historian, whose depth of scholarship is matched by a lightness of expression which makes this a very accessible and enjoyable read. He introduces the various characters and their shifting alliances and the spectrum of opinion very lucidly.
I think the positive points area the following
1. excellent description of the evolution of the opposition to Charles I, great feeling of the gradual coming to power of Cromwell and the interplay between the pragmatic and dogmatic parliamentarian forces. For the initial period the main opposition to Charles came from the powerful lords and it is only the division of the initial opposition forces and the prospect of defeat which leads to the creation of the efficient New Model Army and the rise of Cromwell and Faifax, this is accompanied by the rise in influence of the Commons and the Army
2. the power of religious belief - the spectrum of belief (and fanaticism) is well described, and the divisions among various proponents, and the ultimate division between dogmatism and pragmatism is well described.
3. Cromwell's pragmatic foreign policies - especially the opposition to the Dutch, co-religionists but commercial rivals; and the cooperation with the French and the acquisition of Dunkirk to deter naval invasion.
4. the book is strong in pointing towards the political traditions which would become more explicit in the party wars of the Restoration era. There are hints of the emergence of the privy council in the descriptions of `Protectorate Council' which advised Cromwell. Unfortunately the records of this council do not exist, but there are some fascinating characters - Shaftesbury, Sandwich - introduced here, who have major impacts in later years.
However the veneration of Cromwell, in my view, goes to far. His implacable opposition to Catholicism reached its nadir in the Irish massacres, I feel Woolrych goes to far in saying that they were comparable to other sieges of the time and that the worst of the them were outside his control. Woolrych is justified in admiring Cromwell's fortitude and determination, and reveals his rather surprising periods of indecision (awaiting a sign from the Almighty), however I think the portrait should also call the ruthlessness for what it was.
A more major flaw, I think, is that it is quite difficult to grasp `popular' opinion from the text. The action is told in terms of high diplomacy, parliamentary and military history - for which records exists and clear-cut choices and consequences can be adduced. It is less easy to interpret from the text, how the mood of the population changed during the time - was the time of the Commonwealth and Protectorate gloomy and oppressive? Why was the 1660 Restoration welcomed with such popular enthusiasm, but Charles II Scottish-led invasion in the early 1650's ignored? At the risk of some speculation it is possible to infer reasons - and work by Tim Harris has given some insight into contemporary `popular' thinking, however it is not to be found here.
Overall I found this book to be an excellent description of military and political history of the era, it is a comprehensive introduction to trying to make sense of the political controversies which dogged the later Stuarts and led to the 1688 revolution. It leaves me wishing to know more about the evolution of popular opinion and the mechanism of governance during the Commonwealth and Protectorate eras.
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Top reviews from other countries
JMG
Great book (in both senses of the word)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 19, 2015
