Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail

by Ray Dalio

The English Civil War specifically led to the king (Charles I) being tried and executed and the monarchy being replaced by the Commonwealth of England under the rule of the general who led the revolt, Oliver Cromwell. These conflicts established rule of law rather than rule of the monarchy and they created a new balance of power between the king and Parliament that set the foundation for Great Britain’s later rise. That is because a strong Parliament allowed for a moderately meritocratic selection of national leaders, as the prime minister had to command the confidence of Parliament rather than just be a favorite of the royal court. Statesmen who led Britain during its later rise and peak—such as William Pitt the Elder and his son, Will Pitt the Younger, Robert Peel, William Gladstone, and Benjamin Disraeli—were strong forces for shaping Britain. They all came from families of merchants, not the landed gentry.