Was Oliver Cromwell a Hero or a Villain?

There are many interpretations of Oliver Cromwell as he lived in the 17th century, he was seen differently at that time than he is seen today. There are different interpretations because historians might have been biased because they were on one side at that time and unbiased now. Another reason could be that people at that time knew more about him then people do now. However, religion and nationality changed people’s minds too.
Oliver Cromwell could be seen as a hero because he created a stronger army for England which gave them a more effective fighting force. He said that he didn’t want power to himself which can be seen as a good thing. He also bought peace to England as he ended the English …show more content…

When Cromwell declined the crown to become Lord Protector and therefore hold the same power as a king, I think he did this to make himself look good when I believe he was actually selfish and wanted all the power himself. My evidence is that why else would he close parliament, it is obvious to me that he wanted to rule alone. Did he win the Civil war for parliament or just to close them down again? I think the latter, because I believe that he knew that once he had power than he could do anything he wanted.
I think that when he closed down parliament after knowing it was wrong it was actually worse than when King Charles closed it. I suppose that when he signed the death warrant for the execution of the king, I could see him as a regicide that used violence to accomplish his aims. When he said things like no-one was allowed to play football on a Sunday. It was like one of the few times you would see a smile spread across a child’s face and that was now taken away from them.
When he banned Christmas to be celebrated, nobody was allowed eat a lot, cook much or even have any fun. I believe that living in England was way too religious and would have been extremely difficult for people who worked because there was no time to yourself. I would definitely not be happy to live in a country ruled by Oliver Cromwell.
He may have killed the four MP’s because they were