Luddite
Also known as: Luddites · Luddite · Luddism
- 1Active during the 19th century in England.
- 2Protested against automated machinery in the textile industry.
- 3Named after the legendary figure Ned Ludd.
- 4Used organized raids to destroy industrial equipment.
- 5Motivated by concerns over wages, working conditions, and child labor.
The Luddites were members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who protested the usage of certain types of automated machinery owing to their concerns relating to worker pay, labour savings, child labour, working conditions, and output quality.
Connections4
historical namesake and ideological precursor
The 19th-century Luddite movement, which destroyed textile machinery to protect labor interests, serves as the historical inspiration for the modern neo-Luddite philosophy.
historical parallel to the manifesto's anti-technology stance
Kaczynski's critique of technology is often compared to the Luddite movement, which sought to destroy machinery that threatened the livelihoods of textile workers.
historical inspiration for anti-technology
Anarcho-primitivists often cite the Luddites as a historical example of direct action against the encroachment of industrial technology on human life.
historical movement sharing anti-technology sentiments
Kaczynski's critique of technology is often compared to the 19th-century Luddite movement, which protested the replacement of skilled workers by machinery.
The Luddites were a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who engaged in organized protests against the introduction of automated machinery. Fearing that new technology would lead to job losses, reduced wages, and poor working conditions, they often resorted to the destruction of machines in clandestine raids.
Blue plaque on cottage, Mill Street, WesthoughtonWikimedia Commons; Plucas58; Own work; CC0; Wikimedia Commons: Category:LuddismNed Ludd as depicted in The Leader of the LudditesWikimedia Commons; Luddite.jpg : Unknown. 195 years since publication, copyright extinguished derivative work: Durova ( talk ); Luddite.jpg; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons: Category:LuddismThe Leader of the Luddites, 1812. Hand-coloured etchingWikimedia Commons; Unknown. 195 years since publication, copyright extinguished; Working Class Movement Library catalogue; Public domain; Wikimedia Commons; Wikidata P18 (image) The movement took its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary figure whose name was used as a pseudonym in threatening letters sent to mill owners and government officials. While often characterized as being anti-technology, the Luddites were primarily concerned with the socioeconomic impacts of industrialization on the working class, including the use of child labor and the decline of craft standards. Their actions represent one of the earliest and most significant labor-based resistances to the Industrial Revolution.