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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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New Model Army
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England's first trained professional army, established by parliament in 1645 on the urging of Oliver *Cromwell. Its skill and discipline proved a decisive factor in the *English Civil War. The concept of a disciplined force was emphasised by every infantryman wearing a scarlet tunic, which remained the uniform of the British army until replaced by *khaki. Thomas *Fairfax was the commander and he drafted *Cromwell as his second-in-command just before the crucial engagement at *Naseby. But a highly organized professional force is not easily disbanded, and the army played an increasingly political role during the *Commonwealth – an experience often quoted as lying behind later British reluctance to give much power to the military.
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