Charles’s executing 1649-60 .At first Parliament ruled the country, but in 1653 Oliver Cromwell dismissed Parliament and ruled as ‘Protector’. 2. The Army became important, and under the Protectorate 1653-1660 England was governed by eleven Major-Generals Cromwell’s government was a military dictatorship. 3. The Puritans became powerful. During the Protectorate, churches were required to be plain and serious, and dancing, the theatre, pubs, casino problems,Maypoles and even Christmas were banned. 4. Even poor people became political: • The Levellers wanted to give ordinary men the vote (Cromwell crushed the movement). • The Diggers set up a commune where everyone was equal it was destroyed by a very angry mob. 5. In 1660, Charles I was