Through my research of seventeenth century source materials - many of which are reproduced here - a picture emerges of the Western world's first Civil War from the peoples' point of view. These sources show people and popular movements in crisis as they discovered the aim of all the anti-monarchical anguish, a Commonwealth, was not going to materialize after all. The people had been duped into usurping the king only to have him replaced by a corrupt 'rump' parliament of self-seeking capitalist merchants.
This civil war put the monied classes & land privatisers in a position of power which over subsequent years they used to great effect, legally tearing people from the land, evicting, right across the country and enabling the merchant classes, the winners of the bourgoise revolution, to find willing workers for the industrial revolution and build the biggest empire the world has ever seen.
Admittedly, Oliver Cromwell saw the error of his ways before he died . Here is one of his late speeches delivered to the House of Commons - it could erasily be delivered to the cabinet system of government, 'Tony's cronies', in the early 21st century.
20 April 1653 Oliver Cromwell to the Long Parliament.
It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves become the greatest grievance.
Your country therefore calls upon me to cleanse this Augean stable, by putting a final period to your iniquitous proceedings in this House; and which by God's help, and the strength he has given me, I am now come to do; I command ye therefore, upon the peril of your lives, to depart immediately out of this place; go, get you out!
Make haste! Ye venal slaves be gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors. In the name of God, go!
Tony Gosling - September 2000
I'm afraid these pages do have some typographical errors due to much of the material having been scanned in.
