Episode 2 - The Civil War

A People's History with John McDonnell

What caused the English Civil War (1642–1651)? What was society like for working people in this period? And what impact did the Civil War have on society then - and now, more than three centuries on?

Explore this fascinating area of our history with John McDonnell and three expert historians: Ann Hughes, John Rees and Ted Vallance.

• Ann Hughes is a Professor of Early Modern History at Keele University, a historian of early modern England with particular interests in the culture, religion and politics of the English civil war (or English Revolution).
• John Rees is a research fellow at Goldsmiths University, a political activist and a writer, whose works include "The Leveller Revolution: Radical Political Organisation in England".
• Ted Vallance is a Professor of early modern British political culture at Roehampton University. His areas of interest include political and religious radicalism, and he is the author of books including "The Leveller Revolution: Radical Political Organisation in England" and "The Glorious Revolution: 1688 - Britain's Fight for Liberty".