3.2 The Failure of the Rump Flashcards
Political divisions and the Rump
The Rump struggled to maintain authority after 1649 or during the Interregnum. A source of division between the army and the Rump was the Dutch War.
The Dutch War
The army saw the Protestant, mainly merchant-class Dutch Republic as a natural ally because, during the years of Laudian persecution, the religiously tolerant Dutch Republic was a haven for many English religious radicals.
Navigation Act 1651
The Dutch lost their economic advantages when the Rump’s Navigation Act was passed. The Act specified that only English ships should bring goods into England and its colonies, and only English ships should bring fish into England.
The Dutch War
There were escalating clashes at sea until a full naval engagement in May 1652 pushed the 2 countries to war. The Dutch war stoked army resentment over money being spent on the navy instead of the army, as well as the Rump’s use of the navy as a political counterweight to the army.
Conflicting visions
- The army. the radicals and other idealists demanded wholesale reform.
- The Council of Officers favoured reform and refurbishment of the Church alongside a significant measure of religious freedom.
- Baptist churches favoured the end of a national Church.
- The Independents favoured the retention of a reformed national Church.
- The more radical sects demanded complete religious freedom.
Conservative MPs
While there was a core of republicans who dominated the Rump, many of the MPs were relatively conservative and had not wanted the monarch removed. They sought to limit the revolution.
Reasons for the Rump’s conservatism - conservatism of the individual MPs
Of the 41 MPs on the Council of State, 22 refused to swear an oath approving of the regicide and the abolition of the Lords and monarchy. By seeking to broaden support for the regime by inviting back many MPs expelled at Pride’s Purge, the Rump became more conservative.
Reasons for the Rump’s conservatism - Economic factors
The Rump came to power at a time of economic crisis which necessitated a more conservative approach. There were not the funds to initiate extensive reform.
Reasons for the Rump’s conservatism - Security situation
The threat from Ireland and Scotland, as well as the animosity of other European states, meant that establishing the regime was more of a priority than reform.
Reasons for the Rump’s conservatism - other factors
- Fear of radical religious groups made the MPs fearful of religious reform.
- The Rump’s war against the Dutch became the focus of their attention and resources.
Key problems contributing to the failure of the Rump Parliament:
- The Political Nation’s conservative demands for a return to normality were set against a radical minority, especially in the army.
- The relationship between Parliament and the NMA was fragile but Parliament could only function under the protection of the army.
Rump’s actions
- None of the recommendations of the Hale Commission, which was established in 1652 to consider reform of the law, were put into action.
- The Presbyterian system remained in place and moves to abolish tithes received little support.
- In 1650, measures against religious nonconformity, particularly the blasphemy act, marked the Rump as more religiously conservative than the army wanted.
The Blasphemy Act
Reform the Rump introduced
- September 1650: brought an end to compulsory attendance of the national Church.
- 1650: Decided that all legal proceedings would be in English rather than Latin.
- Established acts for the ‘propagation’ of the gospel in Wales, Ireland and the North.
Army’s issues with the Rump
The main issue for the army was the Rump’s failure to introduce constitutional reform. Their disappointment with the Rump grew as their victories in Ireland and Scotland made them more convinced that this moment needed to be seized to establish godly rule.
