In this book, one of England’s most distinguished historians explores the causes and consequences of the English Revolution, the years from 1640 to 1660 when the triumph of Protestantism encouraged a questioning of authority in English political, economic, social, religious, and intellectual life. This was a decisive period in the evolution of the modern world, an essential precondition of England’s becoming the first industrial nation.

Hill considers both material and intellectual aspects of the Revolution, discussing, for example, the relationship between Protestantism and the rise of capitalism; the ideological attacks on divinity, law, and medicine; and the entry of the "many-headed monster"—the masses—into politics. First published in 1974 and now available in paper for the first time, the book has been revised by the author to take into account recent scholarship in the field.

"Like all [Hill’s] work, this . . . volume is not only distinguished and accomplished, but deeply humane."—John Kenyon, The Observer

"Hill’s contribution to seventeenth-century English history has been enormous. This book, like his others, is informative, stimulating . . . provocative, and most welcome."—John Miller, Times Higher Education Supplement