9.4.2

The Protectorate

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The Protectorate

Cromwell was effectively a dictator who ruled England as the ‘Protector’.

Illustrative background for Military dictatorshipIllustrative background for Military dictatorship ?? "content

Military dictatorship

  • Cromwell ran a military dictatorship (a government run by one person with ultimate authority).
  • Cromwell had 11 Major Generals (military men) to run England under him.
  • Because of this, the army was very important.
  • Cromwell also built up the Navy.
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Religion in England

  • Puritanism became the dominant faith in England.
  • These strict Protestants began to ban types of worship which they disagreed with. For example:
    • Christmas was banned.
    • Dancing and the theatre were banned.
    • Drinking and gambling were banned.
  • Cromwell and other Puritans believed these laws would improve the country’s morals.
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Impact of Cromwell's rule

  • Cromwell defeated the king and royalist resistance.
  • Ordinary people hated the military dictatorship.
  • Cromwell built up the army and navy.
  • Historians disagree on whether Cromwell was a hero or a tyrant.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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