The Putney Debates of 1647: The Army, the Levellers, and the English State

The Putney Debates of 1647: The Army, the Levellers, and the English State. Edited by Michael Mendle. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-521-65015-1. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Pp. xii, 297. $64.95.

The Putney debates of 1647 hold a unique place in the history of England, and arguably the Western world, as the moment when the common man first challenged the accepted wisdom of a society founded on the rule of the few over the many. This moment followed the victory for Parliament in the first civil war, and the "common man" was the soldier of the New Model Army who brought that victory about. This volume originated out of the academic celebrations of the 350th anniversary...