OCR Specification focus:
‘the emergence and growth of radicalism, the Leveller debate and religious issues.’
Introduction
During the turbulent years between 1646 and 1649, political radicalism flourished in England. Radical groups, debates, and religious controversies emerged as Parliament, the army, and society clashed over power, liberty, and faith.
The Emergence of Radicalism
The breakdown of monarchy and the uncertainty following the First Civil War created fertile ground for new ideas. Radicalism challenged traditional authority and sought greater political and religious freedoms.
Social and Political Context
The collapse of royal authority created a vacuum in governance.
Soldiers within the New Model Army grew increasingly politicised, influenced by grievances over pay and a desire for meaningful reform.
The spread of printing and pamphleteering enabled radical ideas to reach a wider audience.
Key Radical Groups
Levellers: Advocated for popular sovereignty, equality before the law, and broadening the political nation.
Diggers: Promoted communal ownership of land, arguing that private property was a root of inequality.
Fifth Monarchists: A millenarian religious group who believed Christ’s kingdom would soon arrive and that society must prepare.
Levellers: A political movement during the 1640s that demanded extended suffrage, equality before the law, and government accountable to the people.
These groups marked a profound shift in English political culture, moving debates beyond the traditional Crown–Parliament relationship.
The Leveller Debate
The Levellers became the most influential radical group, with leaders such as John Lilburne, Richard Overton, and William Walwyn. Their ideas crystallised in pamphlets like An Agreement of the People.
Title page of An Agreement of the People (1649 edition), the Levellers’ proposed constitutional framework. The document encapsulated demands for popular sovereignty, legal equality and broader (though not universal) male suffrage. It circulated widely around the Army Council debates of 1647–49. Source
Core Principles
Popular sovereignty: Power should derive from the people, not the monarch or Lords.
Legal equality: All men were equal before the law, including protection against arbitrary imprisonment.
Religious freedom: Toleration of different Protestant sects.
Suffrage expansion: A demand for broader (though not universal) male suffrage, excluding servants and dependants.
The Putney Debates (1647)
The Leveller influence peaked during the Putney Debates, held between army officers and Leveller representatives.
Leveller delegates pressed for ‘one man, one vote’ and constitutional reform.
Plaque quoting Colonel Thomas Rainsborough at St Mary’s, Putney: “the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live as the greatest he.” It captures the egalitarian impulse central to the Putney Debates. (Extra context beyond the syllabus: the attribution to Rainsborough and the modern commemorative setting are included for orientation.) Source
Senior officers such as Henry Ireton opposed these proposals, fearing social upheaval.
The debates revealed deep divisions within the army over the extent of democracy.
Though the Levellers failed to implement their full programme, their demands reflected a revolutionary spirit.
Religious Issues and Debates
Religion was central to radicalism, with intense arguments about authority, scripture, and freedom of conscience.
Rise of Religious Radicalism
The end of royal and episcopal control allowed dissenting groups to flourish.
Baptists, Independents, and Quakers began to grow, challenging the dominance of the Anglican Church.
Preachers in the army spread radical interpretations of scripture, linking godly liberty to political reform.
Religious toleration: The acceptance of differing religious practices and beliefs without state persecution.
Tension Between Parliament and Radicals
Parliament, dominated by Presbyterians, favoured a national church settlement and was wary of sectarian freedom.
Radicals rejected the rigid imposition of Presbyterianism.
Calls for liberty of conscience clashed with Parliament’s attempts at uniformity.
Key Religious Debates
The Army and Religious Liberty: Many soldiers insisted they had fought for both political and religious freedoms.
Leveller Religious Thought: They argued that liberty of conscience was essential to a just society.
Conflicts with Presbyterians: Presbyterians viewed radical sects as dangerous to order and orthodoxy.
The Growth of Puritan Opposition to Radicalism
While radical groups gained traction, mainstream Puritan voices opposed their excesses.
They feared social anarchy if Leveller demands were enacted.
Religious radicals, especially Antinomians (those rejecting the binding nature of moral law), were attacked as destabilising both church and society.
This created a split within Parliament and among reformers themselves.
Radicalism and the Army
The New Model Army was a crucible for radical thought. Many ordinary soldiers identified with Leveller principles.
Agitators (elected soldier representatives) voiced concerns about liberty, justice, and arrears of pay.
Leveller pamphlets circulated widely in the ranks.
Tensions erupted when army leadership suppressed Leveller mutinies, fearing insubordination.
Despite repression, the link between army activism and radical politics shaped England’s political landscape.
Impact and Legacy
Although the Levellers and other radicals did not achieve immediate victory, their significance lies in the challenges they posed:
They questioned the hierarchical structure of politics and religion.
They broadened debate about the rights of the common man.
Their ideas influenced later democratic and libertarian traditions in Britain and beyond.
The period between 1646 and 1649 saw radicalism flourish but also revealed its limits when confronted by entrenched elites. Religious debates and Leveller demands highlighted both the possibilities and tensions within England’s revolutionary experiment.
FAQ
The Levellers primarily focused on political reform, such as suffrage extension and equality before the law, while accepting private property.
The Diggers went further, arguing that land itself should be shared communally. They attempted small-scale experiments, such as communal farming on St George’s Hill in 1649, which alarmed landowners and even other radicals.
The debates were the first recorded occasion in English history where issues of democratic rights and political representation were openly argued between ordinary soldiers and elites.
Although the Leveller demands were rejected, the debates demonstrated that the army had become a powerful forum for political discussion, setting a precedent for future challenges to authority.
Preachers linked biblical themes of liberty and justice with political arguments, helping ordinary soldiers and citizens see their struggles as part of a divine cause.
Sects such as Baptists and Independents emphasised the authority of individual conscience, encouraging demands for greater civil liberties alongside religious freedoms.
That radical demands for wider suffrage would disrupt the traditional social hierarchy.
That religious liberty would fragment the Church, undermining national stability.
That soldiers sympathetic to Leveller views would challenge Parliament’s control over the army.
These anxieties drove Parliament to suppress radical voices, even within its own ranks.
When Leveller-inspired soldiers mutinied in 1649, leaders were executed or imprisoned, signalling the limits of army tolerance for radical dissent.
This suppression weakened Leveller influence but did not eradicate radical ideas. Instead, such ideas lived on in pamphlets and sermons, resurfacing later in debates about democracy and liberty.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
Name two radical groups that emerged in England during the period 1646–1649.
Mark Scheme:
1 mark for each correctly identified group, up to 2 marks.
Acceptable answers include:Levellers
Diggers
Fifth Monarchists
Baptists
Independents
Quakers
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain how the Levellers sought to influence politics between 1646 and 1649.
Mark Scheme:
Level 1 (1–2 marks): General or simple statements with limited detail, e.g. “They wanted more freedom” or “They disagreed with Parliament.”
Level 2 (3–4 marks): Some accurate detail with partial explanation, e.g. reference to “An Agreement of the People,” wider male suffrage, or their role in the Putney Debates, but lacking full development.
Level 3 (5–6 marks): Detailed and accurate explanation showing understanding of methods and aims. Likely points include:
Publication of pamphlets such as An Agreement of the People.
Advocacy for popular sovereignty and equality before the law.
Calls for expanded suffrage, excluding servants and dependants.
Intervention in the Putney Debates, pressing for ‘one man, one vote’.
Influence among the New Model Army through pamphlets and agitators.z
Answers at the top of Level 3 will demonstrate both specific examples and a clear explanation of the Levellers’ political strategies.
