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Cromwell 1653-58 (Edexcel Unit 6): role of the army

Examiners for Unit 6 history are fond of asking about the role of the army in making impossible the prospect of settlement during Cromwell's rule ("How far do you agree with the view that the Army was the greatest hindrance to settled government in the years 1653-58?", for example). I'd just like to check with other people doing this module what own-knowledge evidence they'd use for to back up the idea of the Army as a hindrance to settled government. I'm going to write what I'd put and hopefully someone will tell me whether I'm on the right track. :smile:

• The unpopularity of the Major-Generals (such as during the elections of 1656 when the slogan "no swordsmen, no decimators" was popular)
• The role of the army in preventing Cromwell from taking the crown (although I personally feel that the army's role in this is exaggerated)
• The unpopularity of the army among many MPs, as shown by the First Protectorate Parliament, when MPs wanted to reduce their funding from £90,000 to £30,000, thus increasing Cromwell's frustration with Parliament

Is there any other evidence that you'd give? Am I on the right track? What would you answer for this question? What other factors would you give for the failure to achieve settled government - the nature of Cromwell's aims themselves, Cromwell's inconsistency in pursuing them, latent royalism/popular opposition, etc? Offer your thoughts. :smile:
90,000 to 30,000 per month?
Also Cromwell was not going to dismiss the army simply because it was his own hope to achieve godly reformation. By Cromwell's death in 1658, he was an eluded man and he still believed godly reformation was possible (despite the fact he decided to give up the rule of major generals)
Might want to point out army's presence in government, esp council of state and the upper house and they were often not elected. Their roles as JPs were resented.
This paper is more about using the sources, I would spent more time revising module 5 if I am you. I study the Dutch Revolt personally.

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