In addition, Pride’s Purge too shows Cromwell’s politicisation of the army. Pride’s Purge is where the army ‘purged’ Parliament of members who they thought would not agree to a trial of the King. Colonel Thomas Pride, with troops, stopped MPs from entering Parliament. Those MPs who remained were to be known as ‘the Rump’. Cromwell was politicising the army by bringing political matters to them.
Carrying on, further confirmation of Cromwell politicising the army was that in April 1653, Cromwell used the army to drive MPs out from the Rump Parliament. He called in troops of Harrison’s regiment to force dissolution. It showed that the army was the judge of the fate of the country, but the real power lay within Cromwell, who was politicising the army by bringing them into political matters. He was becoming a military dictator.
Furthermore, as Cromwell didn’t accept the Crown, he was offered the ‘Humble Petition and Advice, 1657’ which he accepted; it made him King in all but name, in some ways. One of the main points of the document was that he was to be given yearly revenues of £1,300,000: £1 million of that was to be for the army and navy. This suggested that he wouldn’t give up his reliance on the army.
On the other hand, there are many factors that support the idea that Cromwell didn’t politicise the army.
The Self Denying Ordinance is a reason to show that Cromwell, perhaps, didn’t politicise the army. The Ordinance was proposed in the House of Commons by Cromwell and it lay down that no member of either House of Parliament could hold a commission in the army. Therefore, Cromwell was making Parliament and army separate; no politics would be interfering with soldiers. Here Cromwell isn’t politicising the army.
Another reason to show Cromwell wasn’t politicising the army was that he lost his commission in June 1946 and returned to Westminster as MP. He wanted to maintain his freedom and promote religious toleration. He was more interested in being a politician than in the army and separated the two.
Also, Cromwell crushed an uprising against the army which had been a response to the formation of the Rump Parliament. This also shows that he wanted to keep the army and Parliament separate, no politicisation.
Overall, Cromwell seemed to have, at time, politicised the army; however at other times he seemed to do the complete opposite. Pride’s Purge and the Heads of Proposals show Cromwell as politicising the army. Whereas, the Self Denying Ordinance shows that he wasn’t and that he wanted to distance the army from politics. Therefore, Cromwell did politicise the army, however it wasn’t all constantly.
