radical political ideas, including the Levellers and the Diggers

why was there a development of radical political ideas and movements?

* the breakdown in royal and church authority occasioned by civil war and revolution facilitated the development of radical political ideas and movements.
* two of the most notable were the Levellers and the Diggers

who were the Levellers?

* a predominantly London-based pressure group that sought political, economic and social reform
* they developed as a result of economic distress caused nu the civil war
* they attacked kingly authority and kingship from the beginning of the movement in 1646
* the movement had little time for Charles I and wanted to replace kingship with a government dominated by a representative of the people
* the leading figure in the movement was John Lilburne

why did the Levellers fail?

* if they were to stand any chance of success they would need more support in the NMA - divisions threatened the army so they held the Putney Debates in October 1647 to discuss their written constitution, the Agreement of the People with the Levellers.

what happened to the Levellers relationship with the NMA?

* the short term pragmatic alliance with the NMA collapsed before the regicide
* March 1649 - leading Levellers including John Lilburne were arrested
* H.er they continued their propaganda war against Rump parliament and army - particularly attacking Cromwell
* their Third Agreement was to inspire army mutiny - response was limited and was crushed by Cromwell

what did the parliament do to help suppress the Levellers?

* not only the determination of the Rump and the army leadership to put an end to the Levellers - Rump had money to pay the army
* this prevented unrest among the troops - limited Leveller influence and the threat they posed

why else did the Levellers fail?

* the failure of the Levellers was also rooted in their alienation of those towards the bottom of the society through:
* social reforms being too limited
* economic reforms being too limited
* those without property not being included in plans for extension of the franchise

who were the Diggers?

* a reaction to the political upheavals of the years 1647-1649 as parliament struggled to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Charles I
* they grew in importance after the king’s execution in 1649
* led by Gerard Winstanley - they established a community outside London as a proposed solution to social inequalities
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what was the influence of the diggers?

* there ideas and actions offered a fundamental challenge to the nature of politics and society at the time
* they believed in total social and political equality

why did the diggers fail?

* the ultimate failure of the diggers was due to the hostility of the who owned the land around their community at St George's Hill - after a year of continued hostility the Digger community collapsed

where were other digger communities?

* other digger communities had been set up in:
* Northamptonshire
* Kent
* Buckinghamshire
* Hertfordshire
* Middlesex
* Bedfordshire
* Leicestershire
* Gloucestershire
* Nottinghamshire
* none of these survived

what was the significance of the Diggers?

* the significance of the diggers was the path they laid for future radicals, based on the central ideas:
* direct action - the diggers provided an example of taking action in politics rather than just relying on their ideas.
* communism - in the establishment of their communes, the Diggers provided an example of Communism in action
* Liberation theology - the ideas of the Diggers pre-figured radical Christian movements such as those in Latin American in the 1950s and 1960s led by Gustavo Gutierrez - aiming to liberate people from poverty and injustice