Discuss the causes of the Civil War in England.
Discuss the causes of the Civil War in England.
Reasons for the Civil War in England: -
In August 1842 a civil war broke out between the monarchy and parliament of England on two levels. In the first tier between the King and Parliament of England and in the second tier the army with the joint forces of the King and Parliament after a major political change. Historian Travelian remarked that there was no sign of atrocities in England's civil war. During the First Civil War, the king was on the side of Cavalier and the parliament was on the side of Roundhead. England's political landscape changed dramatically during the Second Civil War. Professor Hill likens the English Civil War to the Great French Revolution. In his words, '' The English Revolution of 1640 - 1660 was a great social movement like the French Revolution. Various factors were responsible for the civil war in England. The reasons are -
1. Economic change: - Inequality was observed in the economic sector in England at that time. During this period, the development of trade and commerce led to the economic prosperity of the middle class and the economic condition of the aristocracy improved tremendously. On the other hand, the economic condition of ordinary workers, laborers and peasants became very poor. They failed to collect the daily necessities for extreme poverty.
2. Religious Reasons : - Professor Hill commented that the abolition of the monastic system in England took place in the seventeenth century. In the past, Catholic churches enjoyed all kinds of religious and social rights. But since the overthrow of the monastic system, there has been a continuum of movement against the Church. People wanted to get rid of the domination of churches.
3. Changes in rural life: - In the seventeenth century a number of fundamental changes took place in rural life in England. Earlier in the sixteenth century land prices rose abnormally. During this time a new type of peasant or landlord class emerged in the counties. They played the role of feudal lords in the counties of England. This new class established monopoly on land and sought maximum profit. In this way different groups of profiteers try to create a problem.
4. Changes in industry and trade: - At that time England was a major center of industrial production of wool , coal, iron, tin, soap etc. In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, when industrial production increased at a tremendous rate, the state tried to impose controls on all commercial organizations and merchant organizations in the hope of making a profit. Already the aristocracy and the middle class have become so powerful that they have made huge profits from trade. As a result, clashes between state power and commercial organizations became inevitable.
5. Disputes of the Puritans: - The Puritans had a much larger membership in the British Parliament at that time. At this time the policies adopted by the monarchy and the archbishop to reform the church were not in the interests of the Puritans. Under these circumstances, in 1830 , King James I and Charles I were opposed to the development of the Puritan doctrine. But since the Puritans were outnumbered in Parliament, the Puritans were able to win Parliament. In this situation the Puritans embarked on a struggle to maintain their religious freedom.
6. Anger against the monarchy: - Seventeenth-century English kings believed in the king's divinity. At this time, as the middle class and the aristocracy and the merchant community wielded so much power, they took advantage of the weakness of the monarchy and military weakness to pursue their own special interests in Parliament. Conflicts between the middle class, the aristocracy and the merchant community over the parliament became inevitable.
7. Extraordinary rise in commodity prices: - Towards the end of the reign of the Tudor kings, the economic crisis reached its climax throughout Europe, including England. Commodity prices rise abnormally and the purchasing power of the common and poor people disappears. But on the other hand, the wealth of the middle class and aristocracy continues to increase. The monarchy could not take any action to resolve this situation and they were too busy collecting taxes. As a result, the only way was open for the parliament to clash with the monarchy.
8. Tax disputes: When the Stuart kings came to power after the Tudors, they tried to impose tariffs on imports without the consent of Parliament. In protest of this decision of the monarchy, the parliament went into direct confrontation. Parliament issued the "Petition of Right" in 1828. The declaration states that no tax can be imposed without the consent of Parliament. This intensified the conflict between Parliament and the monarchy, and in 1829 King Charles I dissolved Parliament.
9. Call to Parliament again: - After the dissolution of Parliament, King Charles I had to face strong internal disputes. The economic system completely collapsed. As a result, he was forced to convene Parliament again in 1840. Re-calling the parliament was a triumphant event for the opposition forces.
10. Laws enacted by Parliament (1840-1842): - When Parliament is reconvened, it enacts a set of anti-monarchy laws. Such as - (i) The military is liberated from the control of the monarchy. (ii) All forms of economic regulation made by the monarchy are abolished. (iii) Parliament establishes control over the Church. (iv) The Star Chambers and High Commissions, the symbol of monarchy, are abolished. (v) It is proposed to bring a bill to control the power of the king.
11. Nineteen Propositions: - In the wake of the incident, King wanted to arrest opposition leaders. In protest, Parliament sent an ultimatum to the King in June 1842, entitled "Nineteen Propositions". The situation escalated when the king refused to accept all these demands of the parliament. The king became anxious for the gathering of troops in Parliament. As a result, the Civil War broke out in England in August 1842.
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