England (Dissent)

The Commonwealth of the People of England was a revolutionary government, one of the first of its kind, set up by Lord Protector Thomas Fairfax after the deposition and execution of Oliver Cromwell. The revolutionary commonwealth, primarily steered by Levellers in the military, enacted a series of widespread social reforms as well as the first attempt at direct democracy in a modern setting. Fairfax, originally a moderate, had sought to secure England's position from outside enemies, especially the royalists, who had staged an uprising against the weak new Scottish government. This new republic would quickly become internationally isolated as the royalists would continue to fight for power from exile. Under John Lilburne, the Republic would take an even more radical turn as many Leveller policies would actually be implemented. This would lead to resistance and unrest from the nobles that would finally mount in an attempted royalist coup by George Monck with the help of the Scottish royalists. Lilburne, a military general, would use the coup to gain more power and to unify with the weakened Scotland.