I'm John Batchel with Professor Jonathan Healy, Oxford University. His new book is The Blazing World,

a new history of Revolutionary England, 1603 to 1689. The themes, the arguments, the statements, the risks,

all here in the 17th century that will be echoed by the founding fathers in the 18th century in America.

And much of the contest today between the people and their representatives,

and in America, the president, we can see very much consistent with the doubts and the dreams

of the men who led to a regicide the

cutting off of the head Charles I and then to the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell

a farmer from East Anglia who dies in September of 1659 I believe 16 I believe, 1658.

And the question of succession is not present.

At some point they figured maybe his eldest son Richard,

that didn't work out because Richard turned out

to be a very friendly popular person,

but no Lord Protector. So now we turn to Parliament. Who is to be next?

And Jonathan, this is a fascination, because everything that was enforced during Parliament's time,

during Oliver Cromwell's time, and before by the Puritans, now is to be tossed out with the bathwater.

Everything is to go out again.

And Charles II, who's been living in exile, comes back.

The first thought I have is, why did they invite him back?

Did they know the risks they were taking?

Was it more important

to them to take that risk than it was to come up with a new form of government?

I think what had happened basically was that the after Cromwell died, as you say, there

...