After the Civil Wars : English politics and government in the reign of Charles II

The civil wars had a traumatic effect on the English people: memories of bloodshed and destruction and the ultimate horror of the execution of Charles I continued to be invoked for decades afterwards.

It is often argued that the political and religious fissures created by the wars divided English society irrevocably, as demonstrated by the later bitter conflict between the Whig and Tory parties.After the Civil Wars proposes instead that although there was political conflict, Charles II's reign was not a continuation of the divisions of the civil wars for these reasons:* After the 1640s, Royalists and moderate parliamentarians were united by common dislike of political and religious extremism* Town and village communities were concerned to maintain communal harmony and reconcile disputes* Charles II was determined to conciliate his father's enemies rather than support his friendsThis book presents the first study of Restoration England from the point of view of both rulers and ruled.

It offers a vital reappraisal of seventeenth century England.

John Miller is Professor of History at Queen Mary and Westfield College.