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The Fall

Last Days of the English Republic

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About this listen

Why did England's one experiment in republican rule fail?

Oliver Cromwell's death in 1658 sparked a period of unrivaled turmoil and confusion in English history. In less than two years, there were close to ten changes of government; rival armies of Englishmen faced each other across the Scottish border; and the Long Parliament was finally dissolved after two decades. Why was this period so turbulent, and why did the republic, backed by a formidable standing army, come crashing down in such spectacular fashion?

In this fascinating history, Henry Reece explores the full story of the English republic's downfall. Questioning the accepted version of events, Reece argues that the restoration of the monarchy was far from inevitable—and that the republican regime could have survived long term. Richard Cromwell's Protectorate had deep roots in the political nation, the Rump Parliament mobilized its supporters impressively, and the country showed little interest in returning to the old order until the republic had collapsed. This is a compelling account that transforms our understanding of England's short-lived period of republican rule.

©2024 Henry Reece (P)2024 Tantor 17th Century Europe Great Britain Military Modern England
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Minute dissection. No generalizations. No 'ideas' except as they are unavoidable in human discourse (as defined by the ideas-inclined). Human agency, mutability, stupidity, limitation, all emphasized. History too often a pretended antidote against present confusions. Well: everybody's been confused. All the time.

Gorgeous book

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An extremely thorough and detailed account which filled the gap in my knowledge of this fascinating period.
I did find the narration slightly monotonous and, unusually, found it difficult to listen for more than an hour or two at a time because of this.

Filled a gap in my understanding

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This book does well to counter the idea that the restoration was inevitable. The writing is engaging, but I found myself taken out of it fairly frequently by the narrator's poor attempts to put on accents when reading quotes.

A new angle on a much written about topic

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well researched with a nice flow on a piece of English history rarely wrote about

Good facts on little part of English history

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