Social Divisions

• Levellers Methods

  • Petitions
  • Processions
  • Pamphlets
  • Newspapers
• This shows how politics in the period moved beyond the control of the traditional Political nation and onto London
• The Levellers produced nearly 250 pamphlets between 1645-49
• The Levellers

  Sought to use the concerns of the army to get more power
• New soldiers' representative, called agents with close links with Levellers appeared in five cavalry regiments


  The pamphlet The Case of The Army Truly States, circulated within the army and attacked the army leadership for trying to negotiate with Charles
• The Putney Debates


  Took place from October to November 1647
• The army met representatives of the Levellers


  To discuss how England should be governed
• There was heated arguments between Ireton and Wildman

  About the Leveller's ideas for the extension of the franchise
• The Whitehall Debates

  1. Levellers met with the General Council of the Army

  2. Failure to agree

  3. Levellers drew up their own version of the agreement of the people

  4. Officers drew up their own version of the agreement of the people

  5. Versions were very different, particularly in the extent of religious freedoms that should be allowed
• The levellers denounced the rump parliament, particularly the lack of representative narrow nature it had
• Suppression of the Levellers

  1. Leveller pamphlets accused Cromwell of betraying the revolution

  2. Lilburn's pamphlets appealed to soldiers and citizens

  3. Lilburn claimed Cromwell was determined to destroy Levellers

  4. Lilburn and other Leveller leaders were arrested in March 1649

  5. Cromwell repressed a Leveller inspired rising in May 1649, killing three people

  6. Lilburn was accused of high treason in Oct 1649, but the jury found him innocent

  7. Cromwell refused to release Lilburn from prison
• Despite the levellers being repressed, other groups were threatening parliament such as the ranters, diggers and quakers
• WHY DID THE LEVELLERS FAIL?

  • Lacked clear strategy and were reluctant to use force. They were more interested in ideas than power
  • MPs were othered by petitions because they had democratic ideas that threatened their own interests


  Their failure guaranteed that the political revolution of cutting the king’s head off did not develop into social revolution