The English Civil War

[Zanthorus]

The upcoming Royal wedding has piqued my interest in this period of British history. My memory of secondary school history lessons has unsurprisingly faded to the point where I can no longer remember anything about the social background to the conflict (I do remember that we spent way to long covering the military aspect, or at least, being taught about the battles is all I can still remember). I also don't recall learning about the aftermath of the war and Cromwell's protectorate. If anyone could reccomend me an introductory book that'd be great.

Elsewhere on the web (On wikipedia admittedly) I read that the 'New Model Army' and it's reputation for fostering political radicalism bore some kind of resemblance the radicalisation of the Russian army in 1917, I'd be interested if there is any truth in that claim.

[ComradeOm]

Its rare enough that I recommend explicitly Marxist writers, but Christopher Hill's works on the period are well worth checking out. I can't say how they stack against more modern studies but they're definitely a good place to start. You might try The Century of Revolution for a broad overview of the period

[bricolage]

Its rare enough that I recommend explicitly Marxist writers, but Christopher Hill's works on the period are well worth checking out. I can't say how they stack against more modern studies but they're definitely a good place to start. You might try The Century of Revolution for a broad overview of the period
From what I read of it I remember enjoying The World Turned Upside Down quite a lot.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

I just finished reading this last night actually.

http://marxists.org/archive/hill-christopher/english-revolution/index.htm

[CornetJoyce]

Hill's stature among early modern British historians is undiminished. You might also like James Holstun: "Ehud's Dagger"