Luddites 1
Dec 16, 2015
Luddites
1
England’s Distress in 1811-1813
• In 1812 the government probably had reason to be fearful:– a large part of the army was overseas, mainly in the
Peninsular with Wellington;– the country was fighting not only the French but also
the Americans– England was experiencing the worst trade depression
since the 1760s and people were suffering great hardship. as evidenced by the Sheffield riots of 1812
• Source: http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/victorian/history/riots/luddites.html
Causes
Poverty – Harsh economic times because of the Napoleonic wars
Non-enforcement of laws meant to protect workersMinimum wage bill 1808 (decreased wages)Deteriorating working conditions
Combination Acts – Banned trade unions
Mechanical Looms and spinners replacing skilled craftsman
Mills
Working Conditions in
the Mills
Who?
19th Century English Handicraftsmen
Ned Ludd – apprentice who smashed his bosses shearing frame with a hammer
Mythic Hero?
Ned Ludd mythical person?
Ned Ludd was reputed to live in Sherwood Forest.
They said Ned Ludd was an idiot boy
That all he could do was wreck and destroy,
And He turned to his workmates and said:
Death to Machines. They tread on our future
and they stamp on our dreams.
Robert Calvert
The cause of it all?
The type of instrument destroyed by Ned Ludd
A Stocking frame was a machine that knitted stocking or socks.
1812 – Frame-Breaking Act (capital crime)
The Luddite Rebellion
RiotsNottinhamshire – Nov 1811West Riding of Yorkshire – Jan 1812Lancashire – March 1813
Sutton’s Mill, Nottinghamshire
Government Response
Felt it had to establish control
Provide good business climate
Repress and control unruly labor groups
No attempt to alleviate cause of social disruption
The End of Luddism
Male workers gained the right to vote
Trade unions became legal
49 luddites killed in riots by government forces
24 were executed
34 transported to Australia
More than 20 others given long term prison sentences
Political Consequences
• Changed the views of many influential people– Especially Lord Byron who spoke at the trials of several
luddites, and Earl Fitzwilliam, Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
• Brought rights of workers to the attention of the public
• Began debate about industrialization
• Look at both the positive and negative effects of industrialization
• Govt. could no longer ignore the plight of workers
• Technology is never neutral