The rise and fall of revolutionary England: an essay on the fabrication of seventeenth-century history

Does England have a revolutionary tradition? Against the view of a stable England pervaded by the values of compromise and gradual change, Marxist historians from the 1930s have looked to the events of the seventeenth century and argued that England could, indeed, celebrate a revolutionary past. In exploring the distinctive contribution of Christopher Hill, 'The Historians' Group of the Communist Party' and other radical historians to British historiography, this study traces the rise and fall of revolutionary England. Front Matter....Pages ii-viii Introduction....Pages 1-6 The Great Bourgeois Revolutions: A False Genealogy?....Pages 7-31 Reclaiming the Revolution....Pages 32-78 Marxist History in a Cold War Era....Pages 79-121 Saving Appearances....Pages 122-168 Levelling out the Revolution....Pages 169-209 Retreating from the Revolution....Pages 210-251 Revolution as Text and Discourse....Pages 252-297 Conclusion: The End of the Line?....Pages 298-325 Back Matter....Pages 326-431 Despite the common historical image of a stable England, Marxist historians have viewed the 17th century as being a time of revolutionary events. In exploring the contribution of such radical historians to British historiography, this study traces the rise and fall of revolutionary England.