Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution.docx

Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution.docx

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OliverCromwellandtheEnglishRevolution

OliverCromwellandtheEnglishRevolution

AbolishtheMonarchy,theHouseofLordsandtheEstablishedChurches!

InHonorofChristopherHill1912–2003

WereprintbelowanarticlethatoriginallyappearedinWorkersHammerNo.184（Spring2003）,thenewspaperoftheSpartacistLeague/Britain,sectionoftheInternationalCommunistLeague.

Speakinglastmonthata“People’sAssembly”convenedtoprotestparliament’ssupportforthewaronIraq,“left”LabourMP[MemberofParliament]GeorgeGallowaycomplainedthat“wehaveaparliamentthatisnotspeakingforBritain,”aviewechoedbyChrisNinehamoftheSocialistWorkersParty（SWP）whomoanedthatBlairwas“negatingdemocracy.”TheillusionthatHerMajesty’sparliamentoughttorepresent“thepeople”hasbeenhandeddownforgenerations.Butthequestionis,whoseinterestdoesParliamentserve?

Andwhatisthenatureofthe“democracy”thattheBritishrulingclassclaimstohaveinventedinWestminsterandupheldsincetimeimmemorial?

ThesinglemostimportanteventinBritishhistorywastheseventeenth-centuryEnglishRevolution.ThisshapedBritishcapitalism,madepossibletheindustrialrevolutionintheeighteenthcenturyandlaidthefoundationforEngland,asmallnationintheseventeenthcentury,tomastertheworldinthenineteenth.Asaresult,by1914theBritishrulingclassruledovermorethanone-fifthofhumanity.TheBritishbourgeoisiecametopowerinarevolutionthatoverthrewthefeudalorder—themonarchy,theoldfeudallandowningaristocracyandtheestablishedAnglicanChurch.

HoweverthecapitalistclassthatcametopowerneverforgotthatCromwell’sarmymobilisedthe“lowerorders,”andthatitwastheywhomadesuretheCivilWarwasfoughttothefinish,resultinginthedefeatoftheoldorder.TothisdaytheBritishrulingclass,aidedbyHerMajesty’sLabourParty,rewriteshistorytoerasealltraceofrevolutionandcivilwar,whichaccordingtothemmustneverhappenagain.SchoolstudentsaretaughtthatOliverCromwell’sRoundheadsfoughtKingCharlesIandhisCavaliersinthe1640s,andthattheKing’sheadwascutoff.Butbloodycivilwarandregicidewasan“excess.”Theepisodewasmerelya“constitutional”disputebetweenKingandParliament,inwhichParliamenttriumphedandestablisheditssovereigntyoverthemonarchy.TheperiodbetweentheexecutionoftheKingin1649andtherestorationofthemonarchyin1660isdescribedasan“interregnum.”The“GloriousRevolution”of1688issocalledbecausetherewasnobloodshedandnomobilisationofthelowerclasses.Inrealityitwastheremovalofaking（JamesIIofEngland）whooversteppedthemarkandactedasthoughtherevolutionhadneverhappened.

EversincetheCromwellianrevolution,“HerMajesty’sParliament”hasbeenaninstrumentofbourgeoisruleandforthesuppressionofstrugglesfortheemancipationoftheworkingclass.Thecapitalistorderhaslongbeenobsolete,justasthefeudalsystemhadbecomeoutmodedbytheseventeenthcentury.Andinorderfortheproletariattoprepareitshistorictask—theoverthrowofthecapitalistorder—thereismuchtobelearnedfromtheEnglishbourgeoisrevolution.Theoldfeudalrulingclassdidnotexitgracefullyfromthescene,andneitherwillthecapitalistclassrelinquishpowerwithoutafight.Thiswillrequireclassstruggleonamassscale,pursuedtotheend,andmustculminateinathoroughgoingsocialistrevolution.

TostudytheEnglishRevolutionistoreadChristopherHill,theoutstandinghistorianofCromwellianEnglandwhodiedinFebruary.Hilldevotedhislife’sworktorescuingthehistoryoftheEnglishRevolutionfromoblivionatthehandsofthosewhochurnout“gradualist”accountsofBritishhistory.Hill’sliteraryoutputbeganin1940withtheessay,TheEnglishRevolutionof1640,whichassertedthat“theEnglishRevolutionof1640-60wasagreatsocialmovementliketheFrenchrevolutionof1789.”Hearguedthat:

“Eversincethen[1660]orthodoxhistorianshavedonetheirutmosttostressthe‘continuity’ofEnglishhistory,tominimisetherevolutionarybreaks,topretendthatthe‘interregnum’（theworditselfshowswhattheyaretryingtodo）wasanunfortunateaccident,thatin1660wereturnedtotheoldConstitutionnormallydeveloping,that1688merelycorrectedtheaberrationsofaderangedKing.Whereas,infact,theperiod1640-60sawthedestructionofonekindofstateandtheintroductionofanewpoliticalstructurewithinwhichcapitalismcouldfreelydevelop.Fortacticalreasons,therulingclassin1660pretendedthattheyweremerelyrestoringtheoldformsoftheConstitution.Buttheyintendedbythatrestorationtogivesanctityandsocialstamptoanewsocialorder.Theimportantthingisthatthesocialorderwasnewandwouldnothavebeenwonwithoutrevolution.”

—TheEnglishRevolutionof1640

HillwentontobecomeMasterofBalliolCollegeinOxford,butstucktohisoriginalthesisandpublishedavarietyofsuperbbooks.Hiscommandingsweepofthesocial,politicalandculturalhistoryofseventeenth-centuryEnglandresultedinbookssuchas:

TheCenturyofRevolution,1603-1714;TheWorldTurnedUpsideDown;God’sEnglishman;aseriescalledPeopleandIdeasin17thCenturyEnglandandmanymore.HillprovidesanorthodoxMarxistaccountoftherevolutionaryperiod.HehighlightstheroleplayedbyradicaldemocraticmovementssuchastheLevellersandtheDiggers（orTrueLevellers）whoseprogrammeexpressedthemostradicalandenlightenedviewsoftheirtime.TheLevellersrepresentedthelowerclasses,whoatthetimewerethelowestlevelsofthepettybourgeoisie,includingthecraftsmenandapprenticesofLondon.ChristopherHillshowsthat,haditnotbeenfortheinfluenceoftheLevellers,itisunlikelythatCharlesIwouldhavebeenbeheadedin1649.

ThelessonsoftheEnglishRevolutionareasrelevantfortoday’snewgenerationofpoliticalactivistswhodespiseBlair’sLabourPartyandparliamentastheywerewhenTrotskyurgedBritishworkerstostudyCromwell’srevolution,asanantidotetotheLabouriteviewofBritishhistoryas“gradualism.”ThoseyouthwhohavenodesiretobedupedbytheSWP,WorkersPowerortheSocialistPartyintosupportingparliamentaryreformismthroughanalliancewithLabour“lefts”oughttorelishTrotsky’s1925essayWhereIsBritainGoing?

adelightfullysavagepolemicagainstLabouritegradualism.HeevokesCarlyle,Cromwell’sbiographer,whonotedthathisjobwastodragouttheLordProtectorfromunderamountainofdeaddogs,meaningahugeloadofcalumnyandoblivion.Trotskysaidthat“BritishworkerscanlearnincomparablymorefromCromwellthanfromMacDonald,Snowden,Webb”（Labourleadersofthetime）andaddedthat:

“Cromwellwasagreatrevolutionaryofhistime,whoknewhowtoupholdtheinterestsofthenew,bourgeoissocialsystemagainsttheoldaristocraticonewithoutholdingbackatanything.Thismustbelearntfromhim,andthedeadlionoftheseventeenthcenturyisinthissenseimmeasurablygreaterthanmanylivingdogs.”

—WhereIsBritainGoing?

Trotskyrailedagainst“left”Labourleadersfortheirreligiosity,cowardiceandservilitytothemonarchy—asheputit,they“darenotrefusepocketmoneytothePrinceofWales.”Themonarchyisanintegralpartofthe“parliamentarydemocracy”thatLabourleadersrevere.OneofthefewLabourfigurestodaywhoprofessestoopposethemonarchyisTonyBenn,andhe’samember（forlife）oftheQueen’sPrivyCouncil,asecretbodywhosemembersswear“byAlmightyGodtobeatrueandfaithfulservantuntoTheQueen’sMajesty”!

Benn’s“anti-monarchism”makesusRedRepublicanslooklonginglyonthedaywhenOliverCromwellsummonedhistroopstodispersetheLongParliamentwiththewords,“callthemin,callthemin.”

WhilehewasayoungstudentatOxfordinthemid1930s,ChristopherHilljoinedtheCommunistParty,asindeeddidmanyyouthwhowereradicalisedbytheriseoftheNazisinGermanyandbytheSpanishCivilWar.ThiswasatimewhenthecapitalistworldwasbesetbytheGreatDepression,yettheSovietUnionwasundergoingdramaticeconomicdevelopment.InBritaintherewasmassdisaffectionwithLabour’sbetrayals,precipitatedbyLabourleaderRamsayMacDonaldjoininga“NationalGovernment”in1931.ButwhiletheBritishCommunistPartythatHilljoinedwasdistrustedbytheBritishbourgeoisieforitsloyaltytotheKremlin,itnonethelesswasapartyofparliamentaryreformism.Posthumously,HillisbeingaccusedofhavingspiedfortheSovietUnionintheperiodduringWorldWarIIwhenheworkedinmilitaryintelligenceandattheForeignOffice.FortheBritishestablishmentandtheirLabourPartylackeys,thisistheultimatebetrayal.SpyingfortheSovietUnionagainstanimperialistpower,ifindeedhedid,iscertainlynocrimeasfarasweTrotskyistsareconcerned.TheSovietUnionemergedoutoftheBolshevikOctober1917revolutionandcontinuedtoembodythegainsofthatrevolutiondespitethepoliticalcounterrevolutionthattookplacein1923-24withtherisetopoweroftheconservativeStalinistbureaucracy.ForthisreasonwedefendedtheSovietUnionandfoughttoothandnailagainstthecapitalistcounterrevolutionof1991-92.Wedon’tknowwhatChristopherHilldidinWorldWarII.ButgiventhatheopenlyprofessedhisMarxistsympathies,itseemsunlikelythathecouldhaveplayedarolecomparabletoheroicSovietspiesKimPhilby,GuyBurgess,DonaldMacleanandAnthonyBlunt,hiscontemporariesandcomradeswhowererecruitedatCambridge.

HillwasoutstandingevenamongCommunistPartyhistorianssuchasE.P.Thompson,EricHobsbawm,A.L.MortonandRodneyHiltonwhowerehispeers.Hewrote