Essay Example on Oliver Cromwell: Hero or Villain?

Oliver Cromwell is among the mysterious and controversial personalities that England has ever had. Some historians view him as a hero of liberty while others consider him as a villain. Nonetheless, Oliver Cromwell was a hero who helped establish a parliamentary system, religious freedom and improve moral behaviors among people.

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According to some scholars, Oliver Cromwell was a hero who benefited England in numerous ways. He started the new model army that helped the country in various battles and assisted the parliament in winning the Civil War (Gaunt, 2006). During the Civil War, Cromwell served as a captain for many soldiers and clearly understood that good quality militaries, disciplined forces, and religious motivation were the success factors in any war (Bennett, 2017). As a result, he recruited soldiers based on these attributes, and this made him succeed in the war. Cromwell was also a hero due to his religious background and belief. Principally, since childhood, Cromwell was religious, and he believed that his life would not have transformed had it not religion. Due to his religious beliefs and background, Cromwell established religious freedom and promoted moral behaviors. Cromwell's heroism was also in his political career. He was a political man who supported executions, voted regularly and was lord protector. Many people also trusted him to lead them especially the soldiers whom he led successfully.

On the contrary, a good number of scholars have contended that Cromwell was a villain due to various reasons. First, he was bloodthirsty individuals who assassinate everybody who opposed him and had different ideology or views. Cromwell never agreed with levellers who were championing for tax reduction (Gaunt, 2006). Therefore, he assassinated those behind the movement. Secondly, Cromwell was untrustworthy and unreliable general particularly during Drogheda battle in Ireland. Lastly, he executed thousands of innocent soldiers and people who surrendered during the war.

Conclusion

In conclusion, many historians have argued that Cromwell was a villain who executed many innocent souls and depicted untrustworthy and lousy leadership style. However, such historians have failed to justify the actions that Cromwell did. The truth is that Cromwell was a hero who helped establish a parliamentary system, the British government, religious freedoms, as well as, moral behaviors among people. He was a leader who strongly believed in parliament and a soldier who did everything to protect his country from attack. He was also conservative who protected the power of landowners. Therefore, although Cromwell depicted some elements of bad leadership, he was a hero who ensured that he succeeded in all his activities regardless of the outcome.

References

Bennett, M. (2017, June 20). Why Oliver Cromwell may have been Britain's greatest ever general? A new analysis of battle reports. Retrieved May 6, 2019, from https://theconversation.com/why-oliver-cromwell-may-have-been-britains-greatest-ever-general-new-analysis-of-battle-reports-79301

Gaunt, P. (2006). Oliver Cromwell--Soldier: The Military Life of a Revolutionary at War (review). The Journal of Military History, 70(1), 222-223. doi:10.1353/jmh.2006.0028