Winstanley understood that the wealth of the rich came from the labour of others, something only possible because class society allowed the buying and selling of the earth, which was intended by God as a “common treasury”: No man can be rich, but he must be rich either by his own labours, or by the labours of other men helping him. “Kingly bondage” had spread ignorance, but when “commonwealth’s freedom is established” a new era of knowledge would arise.40. Winstanley’s commonwealth was a world without buying, selling or private ownership of the Earth. Now online: Syrian revolutionary socialist Ghayath Naisse interviewed on the brutalisation of Syria, the goals of those intervening and the prospects for socialists in the region. Gerrard Winstanley was 40 years old when Charles I was executed.1 Had he been born 20 years before, or after, history would likely have been robbed of one of its most inspiring visionaries. ut for many events did not go far enough. The Diggers Movement in the aftermath of the English Civil War tends to be forgotten, along with the Levelers (also in this series) with most historical focus on Cromwell's rise to power. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. There was no other agency to bring about change. The Law of Freedom is an inspiring piece of visionary writing. For instance, he explicitly puts protection for women into the “Laws for marriage” within The Law of Freedom: Every man and woman shall have the free liberty to marry whom they love…and neither birth nor portion shall hinder the match, for we are all of one blood, mankind; and for portion, the common store-houses are every man[’s] and maid’s portion. Johnson, Daniel, 2013, “Winstanley’s Ecology: The English Diggers Today”, Monthly Review, volume 65, issue 7, http://monthlyreview.org/2013/12/01/winstanleys-ecology/. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Marxism 2.0: New commodities, new workers? Be the first to ask a question about A Common Treasury. In this case, parliament must first “acquaint the people plainly with the cause of the war, and to shew them the danger of such an invasion or insurrection; and so from that cause require their assistance in person for the preservation of the laws, liberties and peace of the commonwealth”.50. It would be another century or so before the development of capitalism created new gravediggers who could bring about the sort of social transformation that Winstanley dreamed of. When the setting up of colonies and trying to live by example failed, Winstanley’s only hope was an appeal to Cromwell himself. It was one where everyone could satisfy their needs and those of their family by visiting a storehouse. This opened the door to the transformation of English society in the interests of the accumulation of capital. This is the context within which the Diggers themselves set up a colony at St George’s Hill in April of 1649. The king was gone. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } Winstanley understood that the wealth of the rich came from the labour of others, something only possible because class society allowed the buying and selling of the earth, which was intended by God as a “common treasury”: No man can be rich, but he must be rich either by his own labours, or by the labours of other men helping him. Winstanley makes it clear that all children should be educated—“no children in any parish to live in idleness”. Children should be educated “to ripen their wits…then be set to such trades, arts and sciences as their bodies and wits are capable of” until the age of 40. Winstanley's extraordinary writings from this period have remained a huge influence for many on the Left and are cited as some of the earliest examples of communist thought.
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