This competition ultimately accelerated the progress towards modernity. The contest between James II and the Whigs can be seen as a microcosm of the broader competition between different models of governance in Europe. Pincus’s analysis of the Glorious Revolution aligns with Scheidel’s perspective. He suggests that the fragmentation of power across various states and the perpetual competition amongst them drove innovations in administration, economic policies, and social institutions. Scheidel posits that Europe’s progress following the fall of the Roman Empire was driven by its competitive state system. Scheidel’s thesis in “Escape from Rome” provides a larger context for understanding this conflict of modernities.
This vision, according to Pincus, had significant appeal among a broad cross-section of English society, ranging from the commercial classes in the cities to farmers in the countryside. Their version of modernity was more akin to the Dutch model, which advocated for a capitalist, free-market approach. They envisaged a constitutional monarchy, religious tolerance, parliamentary supremacy, and commercial prosperity. On the other hand, the English Whigs and their ally, William III, championed a contrasting vision. This vision, albeit progressive for its time, was, according to Pincus, incompatible with the more liberal-leaning populace who valued parliamentary authority, religious tolerance, and free trade. His modernity was characterized by a centralized, top-down approach to administration, economic policy, and religious matters. He sought to centralize power, build a professional army, and promote Catholicism to unify his realm. James II’s vision of modernity was shaped by the French model of absolutist monarchy. Central to this transformation were the competing visions of modernity proposed by James II and the English Whigs, which mirrored a broader contest between centralist and competitive state models across Europe, a concept elaborated on by Walter Scheidel in “Escape from Rome.” Rather than a bloodless coup, Pincus characterizes the revolution as a transformative and violent shift towards modernity.
The Glorious Revolution of 1688, as Steve Pincus posits in his book “1688: The First Modern Revolution,” marked a key turning point in British and European history. The Competing Visions of Modernity in the Glorious Revolution and the Impact of Europe’s Competitive State System
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