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The Leveller Revolution: Radical Political Organisation in England, 1640-1650

The Leveller Revolution: Radical Political Organisation in England, 1640-1650

by JohnRees (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2016

    $20.21
Synopsis

The Levellers, revolutionaries that grew out of the explosive tumults of 1642 and the battlefields of the Civil War, are central figures in the history of democracy. In this thrilling narrative John Rees brings to life the men - including John Lilburne, Richard Overton, Thomas Rainsborough - and women who ensured victory at war, and brought England to the edge of radical republicanism. From the raucous streets of London and the clattering printers workshops that stoked the uprising, to the rank and file of the New Model Army and the furious Putney debates where Lilburne argued with Oliver Cromwell for the future of English democracy, this story reasserts the revolutionary nature of the 1642-48 wars, and the role of ordinary people in this pivotal moment in history. The legacy of the Levellers can be found in the founding ideas of the American Revolution as well as in the strugglers for freedom and democracy across the world.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 400
 Edition: First Edition
 Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 02 Nov 2016
ISBN 10: 1784783889
ISBN 13: 9781784783884

Media Reviews
A profound and scholarly account of the Levellers - the nonconformist republican radicals who clashed first with the monarch and then with Oliver Cromwell himself. The book combines the military-political history of the English revolution with an account of the social and ideological struggles that produced, out of the backstreets of 17th-century London, one of modernity's first revolutionary social movements. - Paul Mason, Guardian Books of the Year 2016 A fast-paced and tightly focused narrative which puts the Levellers centre stage in the English Revolution; essential reading for all those interested in history and radical politics Ariel Hessayon, Goldsmiths University of London The Leveller Revolution is of real importance. John Rees' highly readable account...puts the Levellers at the centre of the revolution, where they deserve to be. - Counterfire In his impressive new book John Rees sets out to return the Levellers to centre stage ... [his] research is splendid, his understanding of the period is admirable ... thoroughly entertaining, and thought-provoking. - The Herald [Glasgow] A scrupulously researched, carefully told narrative, and a work of impressive scholarship. - David Horspool, Spectator This book is not a work of political analysis alone. It is also a flesh-and-blood story, with personalities, episodes, dramas, confrontations, heroism and betrayals. In telling it so well, Rees retrieves the struggle of the Levellers from relative shade to the benefit of the revolutionary tradition as a whole. - Morning Star A significant contribution to understanding how important radical ideas were to the creation of modern parliamentary rule. - Labour Research Fluent, informed and passionate, [The Leveller Revolution] brings to life the remarkable story of this political group ... an excellent study - Michael Braddick, Times Literary Supplement Rees has written a substantial book that offers a detailed narrative history of the Levellers and their role in the events of the 1640s and 1650s... His archival work is thorough and the results are vivid. - Paul Lay, Literary Review An absorbing and fluent narrative of the political life of the foremost radical group to emerge during the English Revolution. The book is much needed. - Ted Vallance, History Today
Author Bio
John Rees is a historian, broadcaster and campaigner. He is the co-author of The People's History of London and author of Timelines: A Political History of the Modern World amongst other titles. He is a visiting Fellow at Goldsmith's, a National Officer of the Stop the War Coalition and a spokesperson for the People's Assembly Against Austerity.