To what extent did the Revolution of the 1650s constitute a break with the past in English history? A tiny majority of Englishmen defied the nation, beheaded their king and abolished those things which appeared the most fixed in the way that the State was organized - monarchy, the House of Lords, the confessional state. What was the effect of this and of the struggle for stability that ensued? This question is addressed here by eight historians in a book intended for students and those interested in the Civil Wars and their aftermath. The contributions are by David L. Smith, on the new constitution; Jonathon Scott, on republicanism; Alan Cromartie, on the rule of law; Ann Hughes, on religion; John Morrill, on post-Revolutionary society; Patricia Crawford, on women after the Revolution; and Steve Pincus, on England and the world in the 1650s. The book is edited by John Morrill, author of "Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution".