Rise of Luddite movement

The Luddites were English textile workers who, from March 1811, smashed knitting frames and other machinery in the East Midlands and later in Yorkshire and Lancashire. They were skilled artisans who feared that new machines operated by cheaper, less skilled labor would destroy their livelihoods during an economic crisis made worse by the Napoleonic Wars. The movement took its name from a mythical leader, Ned Ludd, and its members operated at night, often in disciplined groups. The government sent thousands of troops to the affected areas and made machine-breaking a capital crime in 1812, and after trials in York in 1813 many were hanged or transported. The word Luddite is now used for anyone who opposes new technology.

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