How does the average Brit feel/think about the English Civil War?

Posted by Round_Bookkeeper_887@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 524 comments

I know that not everyone cares about history very much, I mean to ask about those who do have any thoughts or opinions on it. I am an American and I think the English civil war is really fascinating as I have been studying it on my own recently. We only learned about it briefly in school and it wasn't well explained.

I don't think it will be very surprising to many of you that I can't help but sympathize with the Parliamentarians just a little bit, even though I'm well aware of their flaws and the bad things that Cromwell did. I think this is just the bias I hold, growing up in the states, to be favorable towards anything that's vaguely democratic. For the record I can't help but feel the same way about the French Revolution. Kindred spirits I suppose. I imagine most Americans who actually know a good amount about the English civil war feel roughly the same way.

But what do Brits think? Were the Royalists or the Parliamentarians more in the right? Or was it all just one big tragedy? I imagine there are some people with strong opinons one way or the other. Does it affect British politics at all today or is it a subject regularly mentioned? I ask these questions in part because the American civil war is still so impactful on the American psyche, I believe, and stark differences of opinion still rage over it to this day.