Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution

In this video from the 2018 Revolution Festival, Alan Woods (editor of In Defence of Marxism) discusses the events of the English Civil War - England's revolution.
The civil war in the 17th century saw the forces of Parliament battling against the monarchy of Charles I, fighting for power over England.
In essence, this was a revolutionary struggle for domination by the rising bourgeois class of merchants and bankers - an attempt to usurp the old feudal institutions of the monarchy.
Pivotal to the success of the 'Roundheads' (the supporters of Parliament) in the conflict against the Royalists was the role played by Oliver Cromwell, leader of the New Model Army.
And within Cromwell's army were an even more radical wing - the Levellers - who wanted to go even further, anticipating the mass movements of the Chartists in the 19th century and their demands for universal democratic rights.
The task today is to fight for a new revolution - one that throws both the monarchy and the capitalists into the dustbin of history where they belong.

[@jacobwinter6954]

Alan Woods is a top lad

[@christianflorelius4243]

Before Eduard Bernstein became the infamous revisionist of marxism, he wrote in 1895 a book about the english revolution with the title "Cromwell and Communism". In it he describes the Diggers as essentially proto-communists.

[@NickMusselle]

very articulate, a good lecture was done in lay language for anyone to understand.

[@dennisroyhall121]

Very good, excellent delivery, to his credit, one doesn’t have to share all his standpoints to acknowledge indeed praise his address.

[@stutzbearcat5624]

This is freaking great!!!

[@tonyfluxman7596]

Brilliant lecture

[@nicholas4791]

really enjoyed that

[@itstankietime7114]

What would you say regarding his genocide in Ireland?

[@andrewmountford3632]

There is no doubt that the English bourgeoisie and Cromwell as it's representative were imperialists and paved the way for the imperialism of the British ruling class under capitalism. Their attitude toward the Irish was no different in its racism and barbarism from that of other English colonial conquests. That said, the Levellers (the most radical political expression of the revolution) did oppose the NMA intervention in Ireland to their credit!

[@wodenoftheangles3339]

@@andrewmountford3632 Tell us, Andrew. How was it racially motivated when all involved were white people?

[@leod-sigefast]

The Anglo-Saxons never had any anti-Irish symptoms. That only came in once the the Norman-French got involved in England. I say that as an Englishman who has Irish ancestry. Those French Norman bastards really messed up this land and it messed up Wales, Ireland, Scotland too.

[@mattnewhouse1781]

@@wodenoftheangles3339 is that a joke? The irish are famous in my country of america for being victims of racial discrimination, signs were posted saying irish need not apply. Yes white. But in cartoons in the past portrayed as hairy animal like drunks.

[@wodenoftheangles3339]

@@mattnewhouse1781 Yes, you've kinda answered yourself there. What you describe is *ethnic* discrimination - not *racial* discrimination. We really need to stop this lazy intellectualism in labelling everything racism. Not least because it serves to lessen or belittle cases of ACTUAL racism.

[@victorydaydeepstate]

It can be with some justice said that Lenin is the proletarian twentieth-century Cromwell.

[@victorydaydeepstate]

Excerpt from Trotsky

[@canman5060]

This should have happened in China in the same era.

[@romancatholicword528]

I am a Roman Catholic, and also I am the great great nephew of Sean MacDermott, I under the strife of the working people as I have studied James Connolly a true socialist. I study Law but his man is right on many things he wrong on a few points Catholic’s did read the bible and we still read the bible. But in terms of Charles the 1st there was a historical restrictions on the crown see Magna Carta, the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland was persecuted. I think this man is preaching against the Roman Catholic Church, let me say this James Connolly was a Catholic and a socialist rebel if ever there was one, even now the republican cause is based on socialist political beliefs. The Roman Catholic Church is not anti socialist establishment rather in its history did commit terrible things but so did the Protestants in fact the Church of England the Protestants have n the most tyrannical power in the UK if ever there was. Look at Ulster, look at the reformation the power of the state persecuted Catholics, the Protestants came to power and abused that power that caused hundreds of years of hatred between the two religions, if the establishment wanted to break with Rome then ok but then try to wipe out the catholic’s. As a Welsh man look at the Merthyr Rising the first time a red flag was raised to represent the workers, the Merthyr Rising was a true socialist revolution in UK. But further more the town of Merthyr is probably more Catholic that anywhere else in South Wales, die to the Irish coming over like my family did. Wales was reformed by force also, there is a statue in the Rhondda of the Virgin Mary, and records show that the brutal might of England reforming Wales.

[@tisFrancesfault]

The Catholic church was, in 1600s the ultimate conservative authority. And fully supported absolutist rule. Its domination of Europe at the time continued with the active crushing Protestant reformations. The hostility toward Catholics was the, not unfounded, view of them supporting the anti protestant activities, up to and including invasion and regicide. Catholics, locally my have been subjected to grave mistreatment, but as a whole within Europe were the oppressors. And Catholics at the time tended to not read the Bible. The importance of the ordained priesthood was, and is considered vital. An important aspect at the time was the bible must be read in Latin. This was an extremely exclusionary practices. The Catholic church thus was, certainly then, the very antithesis of revolutionary ideas. And the uprising wasn't a revolution, it was an uprising ...that was crushed.

[@romancatholicword528]

Percy Harry Hotspur no I’m a law student in England

[@romancatholicword528]

Percy Harry Hotspur just graduated

[@alexanderchenf1]

Long live our Protestant Church and Lord Protector!

[@jeremiahsingularo7340]

dropped as soon he mentioned Trotzky..

[@si4632]

what about all that land henry the 8th stole and gave to his mates just one big looting spree 🤣 no justification for it whatsoever

[@LukeLovesRose]

I prefer the National

[@LukeLovesRose]

Socialists

[@christophergould995]

Why did the Civil War promote Capitalism.Surely it was a triumph for the landowners whom people like Ricardo put weights on industrial capitalists by their power to raise land rent.The battles between industrialists and landowners in the nineteenth century illustrate the power of the landlords as a brake on industrial capitalism

[@Cromwelldunbar]

I believe the rise of the landowners came with the introduction of enclosure rights and the land grabbing of common land during the Elizabethan era. Later under the Stewarts came the rival Protestant churches with the Presbyterian Church 21:19 strongly influenced by Calvin and very much interested by trade and commerce against or rivalling ‘on their right’ the Elizabethan constitutional Church of England and ´on their left’ the Puritan or Independent Churches much less interested in trade and business.

[@nicktanner7523]

Historically inaccurate and a shocking criticism of Christopher Hill.