oliver cromwell villain or hero

Hero or Villain: Why has Oliver Cromwell’s reputation changed over time?

It’s been 352 years since Oliver Cromwell is dead. He was one of the most controversial figures in the British history. How did his reputation change? Why? And what has been changed?

During the period of king Charles II’s reign (1660~1685) and as well as the 1930s and 1940s, many people considered him as a villain, who killed Charles I to get more powerful. Under Cromwell’s rule, people feared him because he was cruel and strict. He banned the things that are now allowed and were in Charles II’s reign:
 Eating turkey on Christmas day
 Dancing
 Going to theatres
 Watching bear baiting
 Working on Sundays
Source F explains that Cromwell shut many inns and theatres. He also cancelled Christmas and gave cruel punishments to boys who were just playing football. In 1649, Cromwell and his army invaded Drogheda of Ireland. Catholic priests and friars were killed on sight. Many civilians died in the massacre. A group of defenders who had barricaded themselves in the steeple of St. Peter's Church in the north of Drogheda were burned alive when the Parliamentarians set fire to the church. Around 2,000 people died in the storming and massacre of Drogheda; a number of prisoners surrendered before Cromwell gave the order to kill them. He was also ruthless, Cromwell proved himself as a villain. On his order his men nailed a baby to a church door. This was heartless and ruthless, all the signs of a villain. What man in his right mind would do such a thing? Cromwell’s actions brought out his bad side. (Source D supports this by explaining that Cromwell’s men used a mere child to protect themselves)
The followings are the consequences that Cromwell made after he became the ruler:
 Destroyed the power of the king – for which he is sometimes called the 'father of democracy'.
 Destroyed the royalist resistance
 Introduced Puritan religion and way of life to Britain.
 United the country in hatred of rule by the major-generals. Britain has since been hostile towards the possibility of a military dictatorship.
 Created a long-lasting hatred and resistance in Ireland.
 Allowed Jewish people to return to Britain.
However, many of these consequences were temporary – the Restoration of Charles II saw the return of the monarchy, the Church of England and a freer way of life. They thought that Cromwell was probably a hypocrite because he did whatever he wanted. Furthermore, in 1930s and 1940s, the Second World War was abrupt and it affected the views towards Cromwell. The historians thought that Cromwell was a cruel dictator that was a control freak and caused a chaos in the country. In this period, Cromwell was seen as a cruel military dictator.
For the period of Victorians, Cromwell was a great man who helped to make Britain fairer, stronger and more religious country. Firstly, he substantially won the Civil War and, he set up the New Model Army which has to be one of the best armies the world has ever known - merciless and motivated fighters but he could be a great leader when needed (e.g. at Drogheda and Wexford). But people didn’t mind because the result was that England and Ireland had peace, because of Cromwell. He pushed through the execution of the king, thus getting rid of a tyrant and establishing in English politics that a king cannot be absolute. Thus the Victorians owed their democracy to him. Also, Cromwell refused the crown when it was offered to him, he genuinely did not want power for power's sake –this can be supported by source B, when Cromwell refuses to be king. Moreover, he built up the British navy as well as captured Jamaica from the Spanish - and thus began the British Empire. Finally, it was said that he was a good, decent family man, who enjoyed a joke and was kind to his children, and he always spent the day in prayer before he did any really outrageous thing.
Historians today view Cromwell as both a hero and a villain because they see Cromwell as a puzzling and complicated man who had two sides. One was cruel, ruthless and hypocrite but the other was religious, hard-working and loving his country. Besides, no one is actually sure whether Cromwell was either a hero or a villain, since he had good reputations but did violent and villainous things too.
Cromwell lived during a time in history when religion was the basis for much violence and cruelty. Today, we can look back on his government and its policies and condemn many of them, especially his policies toward Ireland. In my opinion, his government and policies doesn't make him a villain, because the evaluation about him can be dependent on the’ times and beliefs of the historians’. As a final point, the reason why the views about Cromwell have changed over time was because of different era produced different interpretations depending on what position the era is in.