Ishan Mitra
Mr. Martocci
MYP Honors World History
2/20/08
Crane Brinton’s cycle of revolution is a great theory that summarizes most revolutions. Many revolutions fit into the cycle like a hand and glove. The English revolution happens to be one of them. It has all the key factors that apply to the Brinton’s cycle of revolution.
Brinton says that in stage one a widespread of discontent is there, people are unhappy with the individual or group in power and economy. In the English revolution also people and parliament are unhappy with Charles work. They think that he doesn’t understand the government, since he is a foreigner and believes in divine right rule, which is hated by the English people. Charles made very poor political and economy decisions for which the parliament and people disliked him. His religious tolerance made the Puritans angry, for which some left England. These English revolution elements go with the stage one elements.
According to Brinton’s cycle the second stage of a revolution is that a peaceful appeal is made by the people to the person or group in power, which is either ignored or rejected by the person or group in power. In the English revolution a similar thing happens, The Form of Apology and Satisfaction was given to James I, he ignored it, since it defined the role of the House of Commons for him; and the other appeal was for Charles I which was the Petition of Right, which reasserted four ancient liberties. Though Charles signed it but he never followed it. These two appeals prove Brinton’s cycle.
During the third stage moderate revolution takes place in which the upper and middle class people make liberal changes, according to Brinton’s cycle. Nothing different occurs in the English revolution, Charles because needs money for the war with Scotland, so he calls the parliament into session, the parliament then stays in session for twenty years, in which the parliament makes new laws which reduced the king’s power, for example,...