Ivane Menteshashvili
PhD in History
The University of Georgia
Associate Professor
Tbilisi, Georgia
Ivane Menteshashvili
PhD in History
The University of Georgia
Associate Professor
Tbilisi, Georgia
Thomas Carlyle and His Hero-King
Thomas Carlyle and his vision of history are still very valuable for historical writings. Regrettably, in decades, his theory of great men or as he named them – heroes actually to a certain extent was misunderstood.
In his philosophic approach to history, Carlyle creates several types of heroes. The last, the highest among them is what he calls Kingship reckoned the most important of Great Men.
In Carlyle’s theory, the most interesting is that very provision, which points out that these heroes arose in revolutionary times, amidst the chaos and egalitarian ideas.
Carlyle indicates that historical writings on the Civil War acquit the main leaders of anti-absolutist opposition of 17th century England and their acts, except for Oliver Cromwell. This he says, is a biased approach.
The research opposes and proves the groundless sense of the well-known approach and evaluation of Cromwell and Napoleon based on comparison between them and George Washington. The article stresses that historical writings criticize Cromwell much more for his Protectorate rather than his active role in the king’s beheading.
The author highlights that Cromwell was not an upstart. He got through the gradual process of spiritual and personal rising from the ordinary gentleman to top grade politician.
Cromwell’s dictatorship is a result not of his greed for power but was determined by the absence of the ability of the society to set up stability in post-revolutionary England.
Oliver Cromwell and hero-kings at all do not need vindication. History proves that revolutionary chaos at the same time creates so-called hero-kings, who tranquilize this upheaval (“sanculottism” – Thomas Carlyle ). This proves that post-revolutionary dictatorship is a regular phenomenon.
Keywords: Heroes, worship, revolution, sans-culottism, terror, king, dictatorship, republic, parliament, Puritans