This is a study of the rule of Cromwell's major-generals over England and Wales during the 1655 and 1656, a period which had a dramatic impact upon contemporaries and has remained a powerful symbol of military rule down to the 21st century. Christopher Durston begins by considering the motivations behind the decision to appoint the major-generals and goes on to examine the construction of their administration. He then proceeds to look at the careers and personalities both of the major-generals themselves and the local commissioners who assisted them. The central section of the book contains chapters on the three most important aspects of their work: the collection of the decimation tax; the attempt to improve the security of the regime; and the struggle to build the "Godly Nation". It concludes with an investigation of the 1656 election and the major-generals' subsequent unexpected fall from power.