Mostly summarized from Gregory Mankiw’s Principles of Economics, 5th Ed.
PART 6 The Economics of Labor Markets
Chapter 18 of 36 The Markets for the Factors of Production
Section 8 of 24
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The Luddite Revolt
Over history, technological progress has been the worker's friend.
It has increased productivity, labor demand, and wages.
Yet workers sometimes see technological progress as a threat.
One famous example occurred in England in the early 19th century.
Skilled knitters saw their jobs threatened and eliminated by the invention and spread of weaving machines that could produce textiles using fewer skilled workers with much lower cost.
The displaced workers organized violent revolts against the new technology.
They smashed the weaving machines used in wool and cotton mills and set fire to the homes of some of the mill owners.
Because the workers were inspired by a mythical character “Ned Ludd” they were called Luddites.
The Luddites wanted the British government to save their jobs by restricting the spread of the new technology.
Instead, the Parliament took action to stop the Luddites.
Thousands of troops were sent to suppress the Luddite riots, and Parliament made destroying machines a capital crime.
After a trial in York in 1813, seventeen men were hanged for the offense.
Many others were convicted and sent to Australia as prisoners.
Today, the term Luddite refers to anyone who opposes technological progress.
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