What Does Luddism Mean
Luddism is known as a movement that emerged in England in the 19th century as a protest against the incorporation of machinery into the workplace. This was driven by a current artisans against the destruction of their places of work .
Starting with the Industrial Revolution , spinning machines and looms began to be used to automate and streamline different steps in the textile production process. In this way, specialists in artisan work began to be bypassed and were replaced by workers with lower qualifications, who were paid less.
Faced with this reality, Luddism broke out , whose activists attacked and broke machines as a complaint . According to historians, Luddism was framed in a process of growing dissatisfaction of the working class that went beyond opposition to the incorporation of technology .
There are experts who argue that the attacks on the machines were a way to build solidarity among employees in order to improve the position of workers when negotiating with their employers. In this way, between 1811 and 1816 offensives against industrial plants were registered in cities such as Nottinghamshire , West Yorkshire , Middleton and Lancashire . The harsh repression of the British government, which included the application of the death penalty, managed to quell the riots.
It should be noted that the name of Luddism is attributed to the actions of Ned Ludd , an alleged worker who would have started the textile machine fires in 1811 . Ludd could be a legendary figure in the style of Robin Hood or the pseudonym of a real person who wanted to avoid retaliation.