The Leveller Revolution

The gripping story of the Levellers, the radical movement at the heart of the English Revolution

The Levellers, formed out of the explosive tumult of the 1640s 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 and Thomas Rainsborough—and women who ensured victory and became an inspiration to republicans of many nations.

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 the Levellers argued with Oliver Cromwell for the future of English democracy, this story reasserts the revolutionary nature of the 1642–51 wars and the role of ordinary people in this pivotal moment in history.

In particular Rees places the Levellers at the centre of the debates of 1647 when the nation was gripped by the question of what to do with the defeated Charles I. Without the Levellers and Agitators’ fortitude and well-organised opposition history may have avoided the regicide and missed its revolutionary moment. The legacy of the Levellers can be seen in the modern struggles for freedom and democracy across the world.

About the Author

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. 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".