Why did the Rump fail?
Lack of legislation
Falling from 152 Acts in 1649 to only 51 in 1652
51% of legislation accounted for security and finance
Local government and the army accounted for 30%
Religious and legal reforms each accounted for about 3%
Appeared that the Rump was full of those who had profited from the revolution
Appeared the losses in the civil war and a king executed served only to benefit Sir Arthur Heselrige and his group as they were seen as enriching themselves and wishing to rule forever
Reluctancy to allow religious toleration
Rejected scheme of John Owen to provide a framework of toleration for the more 'respectable sects'
Would have also kept the Ranters and the like down
Scheme would have also hoped to provide an educated clergy
Politics in the army
Hard-line political radicalism on Leveller lines was only an attitude really held by junior officers
Many officers favoured a written constitution with moderate reforms
Major General Harrison's group in the army saw the Rump as Ungodly
Neither of the opposing views had any time for the Rump
Most influential officer was John Lambert who saw the future in terms of a reformed constitution
Suspicion of the army
Rump was aware of the cost of the army and wished to bring down taxation
Conservative Rumpers had not forgotten the army radicalism in 1647-8 and knew that these ideals had not been eliminated
The more astute saw the army as a potential rival for political power - few Rumpers were supports of the army in these circumstances
The army did not see the present constitutional setup as permanent
Lack of electoral reform
New elections on the existing franchise would produce a large number of conservative MPs, against what Cromwell wanted
MPs plan in April to rush ahead with a bill that made no changes to the system and to appoint a committee of Rumpers to supervise elections and vet new MPs alienated the army
Cromwell's hopes of godly reformation and freedom to search for true, let alone legal and social reforms, would be quashed if this bill went ahead