The ‘Reformation of Manners’ was very high on Cromwell’s agenda, never more so than after the failure of the Western Design and during the rule of the Major Generals. Cromwell aimed to create a Godly society through these reforms, ridding England from all sin. He banned all sports, entertainment, games and festivals on a Sunday, as well as drunkenness, sexual immorality and swearing. Although Cromwell had always desired a Godly nation, he never pressed the matter strongly until the defeat in the Caribbean by the Spanish. As Cromwell was a strong believer in providence he felt that England had done some wrong and this was God’s way of punishing them. By using eleven Major Generals he tried to enforce these rules. Charles Worsely, an extremely dedicated Major General closed down hundreds of alehouses in his push for a just and Godly society. Cromwell’s scheme of Triers and Ejectors, designed to rid all parishes of ungodly ministers and make sure every minister was suitable and well paid, meant his reformation of manners was implemented from a parish level. Not surprisingly the reformation of manners was extremely unpopular. Only a small minority wanted any of these reforms to come about, so Cromwell was constantly fighting for a cause that the people just did not want. In some places however, like Coventry and parts of Lancashire, big steps were taken to create such a godly society. Alehouses were shutdown and people were arrested for working on the Sabbath. It was a policy very few people agreed with so it was always going to be a struggle to get it to work. In Coventry people even rioted against the closure of some alehouses, emphasising the dislike of the reforms Cromwell was attempting to put in place. Despite it’s unpopularity Cromwell did see the ‘Reformation of Manners’ as successful, he described the work that the major-generals had done as “very effectual towards the discountenancing of vice and settling region, than anything else these 50 years.”
It has been said that the one legacy Oliver Cromwell left behind was he had created a diverse Protestant Church comprising of many different sects. Ironically, what Cromwell had attempted to create was a united Protestant Church, “I have waited for the day to see union and right understanding between the godly people.” He thought that as he had given people freedom in their choice of religion that they would see that they all had similar beliefs and a united goal and there would be no clear and hostile divisions. This would suggest that on all accounts Cromwell's attempt for a better, united National Church was a failure, but there were a number of reforms he made which were far from failures. The Triers and Ejectors scheme which I described earlier had many beneficial effects, Richard Baxter; a minister of the time said of the Triers and Ejectors, “saved many a congregation from ignorant, ungodly, drunken teachers.” However the splitting of the church, and just as importantly the hostility between the emerging sects frustrated Cromwell. So his goal of a united Church again was only partially successful and in some respects backfired on Cromwell's overall objectives.
Cromwell was by no means a social radical, he strongly believed that the social hierarchy should stay the same. However he did say, “if there be any that makes poor to make a few rich that suits not a commonwealth.” He felt the rich had a responsibility to the poor. Although not high on his agenda, he did make a few educational and local government reforms. He urged JP’s to administer local matters, including poor relief. Evidence suggests that under Cromwell local governments worked just as, if not more’ efficiently than they had done for years before or after. Cromwell also strived to create a legal system more accessible to the public. The language of the court was changed from Latin to English. He made access to the Court of Chancery cheaper and made law plain and simple. His socials reforms as a whole were a success, you could argue he had little part to play in the efficiency of local government, but there was little hostility from the local governments, mainly comprised of the same people who were there before the civil war.
Barry Coward said Cromwell’s “major political achievement was to make a republican government acceptable in a country in which monarchical government was overwhelmingly the one people preferred.” This can be put down to Cromwell's work towards ‘settlement and healing’, which often hindered the reforming work he also desired to do. He knew he needed the support of the conservative gentry and propertied and did a number of things to gain their support. He knew they feared radical reforms, so agreed to the shutting down of Barebones Parliament. The crushing of levellers and the sacking of Fifth Monarchist advisers helped portray a conservative Cromwell. He abolished the “Oath of Engagement” which was introduced shortly after the execution of the king, making people sign an oath to the Republic and against the Monarchy. His acceptance of the ‘Humble Petition and Advice’ meant the government was extremely similar to a Monarchical government; it re-introduced a House of Lords type of institution which had been abolished after the execution of Charles I. He also invited back all the royalist supporters that had been purged from parliament in ‘Prides Purge’. On top of that he was extremely lenient towards royalists, with ‘The Act of General Pardon and Oblivion’ he let many royalists off reparations after the civil war. All titles were kept, again pleasing the upper classes. Cromwell was extremely successful in this area, although the gentry were not completely behind the government, very few attempts were made to overthrow it and they slowly grew to realise this regime was an effective one. A criticism you can give, in hindsight, is that 20 months after the death of Cromwell the monarchy was restored. You can’t place the blame on Cromwell however, if he had stayed alive there is every chance the republic would have carried on.
Cromwell always wanted a traditional government and wanted to establish a working constitution for a civilian government. However these ideals often did not bring him the reforming results he wanted. Because of this, at times he was ruling as, what can only be described as, a military dictator, the type of rule he had fought so passionately to get rid of. At the start of the Commonwealth ‘The Rump’ was running the country, it was what was left of parliament after ‘Prides Purge’. Cromwell felt it was not bringing him the reforms he desired. He ordered it to shut down in order for a new parliament to be created from it. When they delayed this process he forcibly ejected the rump with a group of soldiers. It was actions such as these which gave Cromwell the image of a military dictator. The manner in which it was dissolved and its minimal reforms meant that The Rump was a clear failure in Cromwell’s eyes. He then had a nominated assembly created, known as Barebones, it was seen as a council of godly radicals with idealistic views that had no practicality and was an inefficient vehicle for running the country. This however was not the whole truth; Barebones worked much more efficiently than the rump, working from early till late every weeknight. It also brought about a number of reforms, including uniting Scotland and Ireland into what became Great Britain and gave more administrative powers to local governments. Despite it’s efficiency Barebones did not win Cromwell much support from the conservatives, nor the army. Eventually, Cromwell decided to dissolve Barebones. Cromwell was later made Protector. Two Protectorate parliaments followed, both of which frustrated Cromwell and he closed them both down. These again failed to help Cromwell achieve his objectives. After the failure of the Western Design the 11 Major Generals were appointed. In Cromwell's eyes the Major Generals had helped to initiate the reforms he desired. However they were far from the traditional government he had wanted. The gentry, who saw it as a threat to social hierarchy, did not appreciate the Major Generals. The following types of government, The Instrument of Government and then the Humble Petition and Advice became more and more monarchical and Cromwell was even offered the crown. Naturally this won conservative approval. As a whole Cromwell's goal of having a legitimate and traditional government was never realised due to his attempts of balancing the conflicting aims he had.
The whole time Cromwell knew his power relied on the army being with him, not against. He was therefore constantly trying to find compromises which would not only please conservative views, but the army as well. The landed classes associated the army with radicalism and the fact Cromwell never broke his ties with the army worried them. The army did however support Cromwell until his death, showing his political skill.
A royalist wrote the following regarding Cromwell's foreign policy, “Greatness at home was but a shadow of the glory he [Cromwell] had abroad,” suggesting Cromwell's foreign policy was a success, which was true in almost all areas. It has been questioned whether Cromwell based his international policies on national interest of personal religious ideology. Some criticise his peace treaty with the Dutch as too lenient because they were also protestant and Cromwell had visions of a crusade with the Dutch against Catholicism. However others would argue it meant it opened the Baltic up for trading. This debate is made over a number of issues, including the trade treaty with Sweden and the alliance with the French against Spain. Regardless of his motives, Cromwell improved the nation’s international standing considerably and prevented any invasions. Cromwell was however extremely disappointed with the failure of the Western Design, where his fleet were badly defeated by the Spanish in the Caribbean. Maybe set against Cromwell's ideological objectives this was a failure, there was no glorious victory over Catholicism. However I would argue Cromwell's foreign policy was one of the, if not the most successful of Cromwell’s objectives.
Religious reforms seem to be what Cromwell held dearest to his heart, the vision of a ‘New Jerusalem’ in England, free of sin and a united national church. As these were never realised it would be hard to argue as a whole that Cromwell achieved his goals, in fact he got nowhere near. However his attempts to heal the wounds of the civil war and gain the support of the landed classes have to be described as a success. He made a republic government acceptable in a country that was ideologically hostile towards one. His success abroad highlights Cromwell's skill as a politician and it is unlikely that any man could have achieved what he had hoped to achieve. To call Cromwell’s reign as a failure is far from the truth. To say he achieved his objectives, however, is a huge overstatement.
2,012 words Tim Akers
