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

by JohnRees (Author)

New
Paperback
2017
$43.26

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.

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.

$43.26

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 512
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 14 Nov 2017
ISBN 10: 1784783897
ISBN 13: 9781784783891

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 'Rees likes his subjects, as should anyone who values democracy and social justice. This is not just a readable narrative, explaining the development of the Levellers, but an inspirational romance for the political left, and a timely one. It's a remarkable story because its actors are remarkable.' --Malcolm Gaskill, Financial Times '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

Author Bio

John Rees is a broadcaster and writer who is a national officer of the Stop the War Coalition (UK) and a member of the editorial board of Counterfire (www.counterfire.org). He is the writer and presenter of the political history series Timeline. In 2011 he participated in the Egyptian Revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak and his book on the Arab Revolutions, 'The People Demand, a short history of the Arab Revolutions'was co-written with Joseph Daher. He is currently pursuing doctoral research on the Levellers and the English Revolution at Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2006, John Pilger said: I know of few who speak and write more wisely of the danger we face from rapacious power, and what we should do about it, than John Rees .