In the last issue we asked: Would you support King or Parliament? 52% replied King 48% replied Parliament Comments Opinion is still as divided as it was 360 years ago, people supporting either side with full determination and others half hearted. A difficult decision now, think how it split the country back then, especially when lives and livelihoods depended on it. Was Parliament right to execute the King? 38% replied Yes 62% replied No Comments A clear sign that today, a majority saw that Charles’s death was unjustified and too radical. A peace had just been destroyed by the Parliamentary army, when they overran Parliament and even after the execution, the spectators groaned with lament. Replies came in from Parliamentary voters, who disagreed with execution, some staunch Roundheads said that it stopped England turning into an autocracy, while staunch Royalists called it murder and the final death of England’s liberty. It was generally seen as a rushed and panicked affair, of desperate men eager to get their authority established. It paved the way for a restoration of the Monarchy just 11 years later when the Republican government collapsed. New Poll Our next poll asks the questions: Do you think the Republic Government of Cromwell was overall a success? To vote Yes email – success@kingorparliament.com To vote No email – failure@kingorparliament.com Did Parliament go too far in its demands of the King before the Civil War, demanding too much more power? To vote Yes email – yes@kingorparliament.com To vote No email – no@kinngorparliament.com www.kingorparliament.com Back to Table of Contents -- King or Parliament #3 Back to King or Parliament List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Mark Turnbull. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com