Agitator

An agitator is a person who actively supports some ideology or movement with speeches and especially actions. The Agitators were a political movement as well as elected representatives of soldiers, including the New Model Army of Oliver Cromwell, during the English Civil War. They were also known as adjutators. Many of the ideas of the movement were later adopted by the Levellers.

History

Agitators, or adjutators, was the name given to representatives elected in 1647 by the different regiments of the English Parliamentary army. The word really means an agent, but it was confused with "adjutant," often called "agitant," a title familiar to the soldiers, and thus the form "adjutator" came into use.

Early in 1647 the Long Parliament wished either to disband many of the regiments or to send them to Ireland. The soldiers, whose pay was largely in arrears, refused to accept either alternative, and eight of the cavalry regiments elected agitators, called at first commissioners, who laid their grievances before the three generals, and whose letter was read in the House of Commons on the 30 April 1647. The other regiments followed the example of the cavalry (nicknamed Ironsides), and the agitators, who belonged to the lower ranks of the army, were supported by many of the officers, who showed their sympathy by signing 'Declaration of the army.

Agitator (newspaper)

The Agitator was a radical newspaper published by Jay Fox of the anarchist Home Colony in the American state of Washington from 1910 to 1912.

In 1913 the paper was briefly relaunched as The Syndicalist as the official organ of William Z. Foster's Syndicalist League of North America, at which time it was moved first to Lakebay, Washington and thereafter to Chicago.

The Agitator and its successor were among the most important written vehicles for anarchosyndicalist ideas in America during the decade of the 1910s.

Publication history

Launch

The Agitator was launched as a bi-monthly tabloid newspaper in Home, Washington on November 15, 1910. The editorial task was handled by Jay Fox. The paper concentrated upon the Free speech fights and strikes conducted by the IWW, and was sharply critical of the measured electoral strategy of the Socialist Party of America (SPA).

The political line of Fox's publication evolved steadily, beginning from a committed anarchist perspective. In addition to purely political topics, the paper gave space to more avant guard social ideas not generally part of the discourse of radical newspapers of the day, including coverage of feminist issues and the culture of nudism.

Agitator (disambiguation)

An agitator is a person that actively supports some ideology or movement with speeches and especially actions.

Agitator may also refer to: