Luddites
The Luddites were workers whose jobs were threatened by machines during the Industrial Revolution. Their lives were in danger, and so they turned to a man, the supposedly fictional Ned Ludd. They travelled in mobs and smashed the machinery in factories as protest in the 19th century. The following is a letter from the Luddites addressed to a factory owner:
Gentleman all,
Ned Ludd's Compliments and hopes you will give a trifle toward supporting his Army as he well understands the Art of breaking obnoxious frames [machines]. If you comply with this it will be well, if not I shall come upon you myself.
Edward Ludd (80)
The writer of this letter uses a threat of confrontation. This highlights that the Luddites may have used force in order to recruit members, and that this was how desperate they may have been to grow their "army". There were a number of conditions that led to the collapse of the Luddites. A law was passed in 1812 called the Frame-Breaking act, which said that the breaking of frames was punishable by death, leading to many of the Luddites giving up their position as members. The government was quick to react, and rewards of £50 were offered for anyone with information on the Luddites. At least 23 people were executed, hundreds more were shipped off to Australia.
The Luddites influenced the reform during the Industrial Revolution in that although Luddism was ephemeral, they impacted society tremendously, and Luddism still exists today. They changed the views of many people and brought attention to the poor conditions for workers in England. The Luddites may not have been very well acclaimed, however their protests and ideas led to many symbolic changes internationally. Industrialisation became questionable and open to debate. The flaws of an industrialised society were brought forward and the government could no longer ignore them. The Luddites were desperate to improve the loathsome working conditions for themselves and others, but the government believed that machinery was a big improvement to industries, making production more efficient and of less cost.
Gentleman all,
Ned Ludd's Compliments and hopes you will give a trifle toward supporting his Army as he well understands the Art of breaking obnoxious frames [machines]. If you comply with this it will be well, if not I shall come upon you myself.
Edward Ludd (80)
The writer of this letter uses a threat of confrontation. This highlights that the Luddites may have used force in order to recruit members, and that this was how desperate they may have been to grow their "army". There were a number of conditions that led to the collapse of the Luddites. A law was passed in 1812 called the Frame-Breaking act, which said that the breaking of frames was punishable by death, leading to many of the Luddites giving up their position as members. The government was quick to react, and rewards of £50 were offered for anyone with information on the Luddites. At least 23 people were executed, hundreds more were shipped off to Australia.
The Luddites influenced the reform during the Industrial Revolution in that although Luddism was ephemeral, they impacted society tremendously, and Luddism still exists today. They changed the views of many people and brought attention to the poor conditions for workers in England. The Luddites may not have been very well acclaimed, however their protests and ideas led to many symbolic changes internationally. Industrialisation became questionable and open to debate. The flaws of an industrialised society were brought forward and the government could no longer ignore them. The Luddites were desperate to improve the loathsome working conditions for themselves and others, but the government believed that machinery was a big improvement to industries, making production more efficient and of less cost.
Violent Protest
The idea of Luddism led to a large amount of violent protests. The Luddites were not the only ones involved in these protests, however. More and more outraged workers took on their ideas and fought back.