Introduction
The term Glorious Revolution refers to the way in which the Parliament asserted its right over monarchy. The Glorious Revolution consists of different events that took place from 1685 to 1689. The events started with the death of Charles II. This event culminated the Bill of Rights in the year 1689. The death of Charles II occurred on 6 February. The Catholic James II succeeded Charles II. The fears of Catholicism and different attempts to exclude James II surrounded the event. Despite these events, the succession occurred successfully. The Parliament of James was loyalist. When the House was recalled, the Commons were asked for additional money for maintaining the army. James antagonized the Commons by demanding the repeal of the Test Acts. These Acts were based on the requirements of proving that Catholics make a declaration. The Acts were declined by the Parliament. The additional money was also refused by the Parliament. The Parliament made it clear that the one of the greatest concerns was the employment of Catholic officers.
Discussion
In the year 1686, the King introduced Roman Catholics to the army and universities. In the month of July, a Commission was developed that declared the King as the Church of England. The Commission had the right to deprive the clergy of their responsibilities. One of the acts of the Commission was to suspend the Bishop of London. On the other side, the Marquis of Queensberry was replaced by Roman Catholic Administration. James wanted to secure the House of Common because he believed that it would protect and support the policies developed and implemented by him.
After the Revolution of 1688 to 1689, John Locke discussed the premise for the creation of governments. According to the premise of Locke, the function of the government is to protect the property of people that they create through human labor. Locke also argued that the purpose of the government is to fulfill the needs of the public. Therefore, people must check on the performance of the government. These arguments suggest that the government is an important medium of people. Therefore, the government must be aligned with the interests of the public. Furthermore, it is essential that the interests of people be in line with the wants of the government. From a political perspective, the processes by which collective decisions are made by people involve social relations. The social relations allow people to gain the authority. There are several perspectives that identify the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. The Glorious Revolution made several innovations in economics, foreign policy, religion, and others. It is argued that the development of social and political discourse was facilitated by the authority. It is also argued that the Revolution was the evidence that the citizens of England wanted to realign the desires of the government with the citizens. The extent of the events that occurred from 1688 to 1689 suggests that the period was characterized with revolution.
It is argued that Monarchial absolutism is vulnerable to corruption. In order to comprehend the Glorious Revolution, it is important to narrate events and impressions with unique occurrences. In this regard, it is important to consider the time discourse. From a religious point of view, England was Protestant. The Catholic King provoked disagreement among the masses.
Before the Glorious Revolution, there was distrust between English citizens and monarchs. Although the reign of Charles II was praised by many, there were also several suspicions of the religions practices at that time. The suspicions of the people were confirmed by the Institution of the Secret Treat of Dover. Furthermore, it was well known that the James II was a Catholic. The situation was worsened by Charles II when he abstained from the Parliament. The death of Charles II death in 1865 resulted in the reign of James II. James II instituted diverse reforms. The reforms of James II lowered his standing in the nation. The regime of James II also suffered because of his nephew named Duke of Monmouth. Duke of Monmouth was the illegitimate nephew of James II. The Duke did not receive enough support by the nobles.
The regime of James was based on the issue of religion. The actions of James II were considered mysterious. The intrusive methods of James II resulted in an increase in the number of enemies. According to some arguments, the Glorious Revolution was not the war of religion. In fact, it was a political struggle in which the materials and rights of people were in danger. The final straw appeared from the birth of the son of James. The fear of another Catholic regime increased the panic of the public. The English citizens were not in the position to withstand obstructions. It can be concluded that the reign of James II consisted of authoritarian despotism. The era of James II highlights the flaws in the pre-revolutionary government of England. According to Thomas Cartwright, by appointing a monarch who believes that it is only important to answer to God, the country would invite corruption.
Although it is not illogical that the reign of a monarch could be beneficial for a country, James II is considered the corrupt absolutist. It is important to comprehend that 1688-89 revolution was a necessity. The trends of the monarchial system were counterproductive. The motifs also started to emerge towards the reign of James. According to the motif, the government that safeguards national interests is the most significant concern. Although the regime of James consisted of several obstructions that protect the rights of people, he made efforts towards the unification of England. However, the unity of England did not prove to be in the best interests of James.
The benefit that could be realized from any bad experience is the knowledge. The knowledge gained from a bad experience prevents its occurrence in the future. The analysis of James II reign has been presented by Pincus. The arguments of Pincus have highlighted the feelings of English people towards the reign of James. According to Richard Price, the function of civil government is to act as an institute that safeguards people, their property, and their good name. He also argued that the obedience to laws and regulations is necessary for protecting the community. Price has also argued that the function of government is to serve the masses. In addition, he has also highlighted the importance of political reformation. He believed that when the sentiments of the public are obstructed, those in charge become victims of disturbance. Price has also argued about the principles that highlight the rights of humankind.
The Dutch Prince William and his wife were requested to come to England in order to control the country. It was believed at that time William would be able to receive support. It was also argued that both the nobles of the area and the gentry would favor and support him. A majority of people, in that era, desired change. There were many people who wanted to contribute towards change in the county. The desire and willingness of people to bring about change highlights the sentiments of English towards James II. The concerns were particularly because of his Catholic origin. The noblemen were in favor of Prince William because they wanted and aimed to secure the political situation of England. The noblemen took several risks to achieve their goals. They wrote the letter to the Prince that was a risky decision. If their letters had been caught by the King, they would be punished. However, the desperation and frustration faced by those people urged them to take all the risks associated with their decision.
It is believed that the people were highly dissatisfied with the government. The dissatisfaction was particularly associated with the religion. Furthermore, the expectations of people regarding liberties and properties were also not fulfilled. The events that took place in that era also highlight the shift of power from absolute monarchy to limited monarchy. The means used to force the monarch were significant. The sentiments against James II started to grow. The sentiments of people resulted in the questioning of the efficiency of absolutism. The conditions and the sentiments of people were strong enough to result in political reformation.
The shift in power, occurred at that time, was not because of the violent struggles of people. In fact, it was because of the unified efforts of English people, which were aimed towards reasserting dominion. Based on these accounts, it is important to note that the people were making several efforts to establish a legitimate order. The Glorious Revolution was largely because of the social, political, and religious conditions. The most powerful factor that resulted in the revolution was politics.
The main factor that resulted in progress was the reassertion of power by William III. The arrival of William III resulted in the fall of James II. This revolution has been termed has Glorious because it did not involve much blood shedding. It has been argued by Francis Barrington and Benjamin Steele that the revolution was one of the most amazing revolutions. At the time of revolution, the goals of people were directed towards one direction. The unification of England was an important factor that resulted in a peaceful revolution. The reign of William III received the support of unified England.
The era of William is the period in which a remarkable shift occurred from absolute monarchy to the limited monarchy. According to Pincus, the historians believe that the event resulted in the restoration of polity in England. The Protestant religion was also restored in England. Another argument regarding the revolution is that it was not innovative or radical but it was restorative. An important question that was raised after the reform was the influences on policy from the outside world. Although the bases of the reforms were the needs and wants of English people, the origin of monarch was Netherland.
The revolution of England was actually the victory of Parliament over the King. However, the developments of different policies affected the nature of the authority. The essence of the Glorious Revolution was in the Declaration of Rights and the Bill of Rights, which defined the relationship between subjects and monarch. The provisions of these acts were offered by Prince William and his wife. The provisions were accepted by both of them. The policies, devised by the new King, prohibited the repetition of transgressions by Kings and Queens. The declarations were not making new laws but declaring old ones. The Glorious Revolution is therefore, considered to be milestone in English history. It highlights the shift in the power of monarch to the power of Parliament. The Parliament was established as the supreme power. The power of the parliament was the catalyst that resulted in the growth of religion, social development, and economics.
When discussing Glorious Revolution, it is important to compare different modes before and after the Revolution. The justification for the rights of the crown was provided by Thomas Cartwright. According to Cartwright, the king may follow any religion. It was further argued that the king might pass any decree. The argument of Cartwright was fueled by the premise of the absolute power possessed by the king. It was further argued by him that the king was the first and the last judge. It is argued that the analysis of Cartwright is based on a biased perspective. He has also explained authority in a traditional manner. The churchmen were intolerant and used to believe that people do not have the right to challenge the monarchial authority. The essence of the Revolution is characterized by the Bills of Right. Cartwright has explained the details of King’s decisions. He has also discussed how the decisions of the King outweigh the desires and preferences of Parliament and the people of England.
The bloodless revolution was the demonstration of the desire of people for the reform. According to historians, the Glorious Revolution was not actually a revolution. It was argued by historians that the revolution aimed to preserve the ancient laws. The purpose of the Revolution was also to preserve the constitution. It is argued that the event was actually a restorative event. The event reestablished the ideas of English People. The argument that the Glorious Revolution was not a revolution was accepted by many. However, the argument is flawed because of the reforms brought by the revolution. The reforms declared Parliament as the primary and significant authority that was a significant step in the history. The distinguish feature of the revolution was that it gave rights and legal guarantees to people. The revolutionary changes made the Kings limited monarchs. The revolution also contributed towards the reorientation of foreign policy of the country. The distinguishing features of the revolution made it one of the modern revolutions.
The responsibility of the government is to protect the rights of people. The government needs to decide in what ways the needs and wants of people can be fulfilled in the best possible manner. The government of James II was characterized with tyranny. According to the social and political discourse, the authority of James II was not checked by anyone. As a result, absolute power was given to James II. As a result, the desires of the citizens were not compatible with the desires of the King. The Glorious Revolution resulted in the shift of power from monarch to the Parliament. Although James II had the power to unify the nation, they were unified to end his regime. There are several historians who argue that it was not a revolution, the turn of events resulted in several positive changes. The revolution ended the power of the monarch and discouraged him to misuse the power. The Glorious Revolution, indeed, was the revolution of the major reforms in terms of economics and religion. Eventually, the state was changed in the favor of English citizens. The people of England struggled to eliminate the obstructions in the way of revolution.
In 1685 after the death of the English King Charles II , who had no legitimate children, to the throne of England and Scotland joined his younger brother, James II , and uncle-in-law William of Orange. Originally English society, remember the excesses of recent revolution , treated him loyally. Elected parliament consisted mainly of Conservative. However, a few months after the coronation of James openly professed the Catholic faith, and began to pursue a policy that caused the extreme displeasure of the Protestant majority. Under the pretext of combating small rebellions, King created a standing army, the amount of which has rapidly grown to 40,000 soldiers. In November 1685, the parliament was dissolved and no longer for the entire period of the reign of James was not going to. In 1687, the king issued a "Declaration on Religious Tolerance" favorable to Catholics. Fears of Catholic restoration in the country and a new redistribution of property alienated his natural supporters of the king - the Tories. All the key posts in the country the king appointed Catholics, and all expressed a slightest dissatisfaction or disobedience immediately shifted from their positions. Some opposition immigrated to Holland.
Conclusion
Briefly, it can be agreed that the Glorious Revolution was a significant event in the history of England. Although there are several arguments that claim that the Glorious Revolution was not a revolution, it cannot be denied that the Revolution resulted in the social and political transformation of the society. The most significant political outcome of the revolution was that it limited the power of the monarch. The society achieved benefits because the power was shifted to the Parliament.
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