Glorious Revolution, Essay Example

The Glorious Revolution is also known as the Revolution on 1688. The event marked the overthrow of English King James II by William III with the assistance of Dutch infantry. Since William III had differing opinions than the king that had preceded him, his life as king enacted many changes in the lives of both English citizens and those living in English colonies abroad (Childs, 1980). A major cause for the revolution was the religious tolerance policies that James II had attempted to establish during his rule; as a consequence, William III was supported in the revolution by those who feared the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic Church as a dominant power in England.

Ultimately, the impact that the Glorious Revolution had on people living on the English mainland was political in nature. Since William III wished to prevent the power of Catholics in the country, they were prohibited from having the right to vote, sit in Parliament, receive military commissions, and a law was created that prevented monarchs from being able to marry a person of the Catholic faith. Furthermore, William III established a business sense in England when it came to properly running government funded industry such as the East India Company. The recognition of England’s potential combined with this new approach helped further develop the country’s economy. Meanwhile, the Glorious Revolution to political change of a different kind in the colonies. It lead both to the collapse of the Dominion of New England and the overthrow of the government in the Province of Maryland (Coward, 1980).

Ultimately, the fact that William III was foreign induced many new ideas into England that changed the average person’s lifestyle compared to rule under James II. Since England remained involved with its colonies in the New World, some of this impact reflected in the lives of the colonists as well.

References

Childs, John. (1980). The Army, James II, and the Glorious Revolution. Manchester University Press.

Coward, Barry. (1980). The Stuart Age: A History of England 1603–1714 (7th ed.). Longman.