Description

In this book one of England's most distinguished historians explores the causes and consequences of the English Revolution, the years from 1640 to 1660 when the triumph of Protestantism encouraged a questioning of authority in English political, economic, social, religious and intellectual life. This was a decisive period in the evolution of the modern world, an essential precondition of England's becoming the first industrial nation. Hill considers both material and intellectual aspects of the Revolution, discussing, for example, the relationship between Protestantism and the rise of capitalism; the ideological attacks on divinity, law and medicine; and the entry of the 'Many-Headed Monster' - the masses - into politics. First published in 1974 and now available in paper, the book has been revised by the author to take into account subsequent scholarship in the field. 'Like all Hill's work, this volume is not only distinguished and accomplished, but deeply humane.' John Kenyon, Observer 'Hill's contribution to seventeenth-century English history has been enormous. This book, like all his others, is informative, stimulating, provocative, and most welcome.' John Miller, Times Higher Education Supplement Christopher Hill is the pre-eminent historian of seventeenth-century England. He was Master of Balliol College, Oxford, from 1965 to 1978 and Visiting Professor at the Open University. He is the author of numerous books, including 'The Century of Revolution', 'The World Turned Upside Down', 'Milton and the English Revolution' and 'A Turbulent, Seditious and Factious People: John Bunyan and His Church'.