Levelling Monsters: Monopoly, Rights, and Public Authority

The Levellers have long been recognized as ardent antimonopolists, but their interpreters have yet to connect their grievances against private monopolies to the emergence of their political theory of legitimate public authority. This article argues that, by drawing from language and logic articulated in an understudied 1645 treatise, the Leveller leaders constructed their arguments for a Parliament that was authorized by and accountable to the people against the backdrop of monopolies endangering citizens’ fundamental rights. In this light, the Levellers demonstrate how objections to private monopoly power are deeply interwoven with the demand for popular legitimacy.