Levellers

• The Levellers: Libertarian Revolutionaries  A clear overview of the early movement during the English Civil War and its legacy. By Nick Elliott of the Adam Smith Institute
• The Levellers BBC article from their Historic Figures series  §
• The Levellers and the Tradition of Dissent Thorough essay by Tony Benn MP illustrating how the Levellers were early christian radicals whose ideas helped to shape the American and French revolutions, and inspired generations of socialists. The Levellers - shaping an epoch of revolution. Same article, but more colourful!!
• Levellers, Selected Texts Various Leveller texts originally published as The English Levellers by Andrew Sharp. Good introduction to Leveller ideas.
• The World Turned Upside Down Original documents from the Diggers and Levellers, as well as early Quakers - but you need to get past the opening paragraphs first!!
• Lilburne, John Radical political firebrand who began his career as a martyr for Puritan doctrine, became a champion of the Levellers and political democracy, and ended his days as a Quaker and pacifist. (BCW&C)
• John Lilburne - Leveller leader Interesting page of basic detail and facsimile docs from Britains National Archive.

Diggers

• “The Religion of Gerrard Winstanley and Digger Communism”. Long, but detailed article. Published by the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia.
• Christopher Hill - Gerard Winstanley: 17th Century Communist Lecture given 1996 at Kingston University
• Radicalism and Reverence: The Political Thought of Gerrard Winstanley online book by George Shulman examines the life and work of Winstanley  from theorizing about God and the "rebirth" of the self to active leadership of the "diggers," a group of radical activists who occupied not yet enclosed common lands. This book seeks to illuminate what was at stake at that time and relate it to contemporary debates about the self, politics, and language.  University of California Press,  1989
• English Diggers A variety of background materials on the Digger movement, from their San Francisco spiritual descendants of today. Includes Diggers songs......
• Surrey Diggers Trail detailed pdf guide to sites around Cobham, Surrey where important events in the history of the Digger movement occurred. Information about and quotes from members of the movement. 
• Levellers, True Levellers, and The Diggers of 1649 (1 of 3) Video story of Winstanley & Digger views. YouTube video. see also (2 of 3) and (3 of 3)

The Putney Debates

• Putney Debates basic overview from Spartacus. Similar overview, see also:
• The Putney Debates 1647 (BCW&C)
• The Putney debates Site based on a recent exhibition held in St Mary's Church, Putney (the site where the Putney Debates were held in 1647). Not always easy to navigate around (use the links below) but worthwhile. Well supported with illustrations. Useful with pages on
  • The Putney Debates
  • Why Putney?
  • Religious Freedom
  • links for useful pdf teacher and student notes on aspects of the debates
• The Putney Debates transcription of the General Council of Officers (i.e. the General Council of the Army, which also included representatives of the regiments) at Putney, 28th October 1647
• The Heads of the Proposals offered by the Army. From Gardiner: Constitutional documents of the Puritan Revolution.

• John Milton Melvyn Bragg discusses how Milton's poetry betrayed his political stance during the English Civil War. Listen to the discussion between John Carey, (Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University), Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary College, and Blair Worden, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Sussex and author of Roundhead Reputations - The English Civil Wars and the Passions of Posterity.
• Heavenly muse  Review article of Milton: Poet, Pamphleteer, and Patriot by Anna Beer. From The Economist
• The Mystery of genius. Andrew Motion, the poet laureate, salutes Anna Beer's reliable guide to Milton
• Dreams of equality: the levelling poor of the English Revolution A review of Brian Manning, The Far Left in the English Revolution 1640 to 1660. By Judy Cox in International Socialism Journal

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