Luddist is ... Who are Luddists?

The article tells about what a luddist is, what the followers of such a social movement did and whether they are in our time.

Equipment

The twentieth century is also interesting because during it the development of scientific and technological progress has been unseen, at a tremendous pace. If you look deep into the history, then nothing like this has ever happened. This trend has been observed in recent years. According to some scientists, the day when the real technological singularity comes is very close .

We are all accustomed to using the achievements of science and technology, but it was not always so, and at some times people openly opposed new inventions that made life easier for them, or they feared them, considering them unworthy. It was approximately the same way in the first quarter of the nineteenth century in England, when the movement of followers of Ned Ludd originated, they themselves called themselves Luddists, or Luddites. What is this, we will disassemble.

Definition

Luddist is a man who opposed the development of scientific and technological progress. They existed in the first half of the XIX century in England and several other countries. True, they did not protest because of ideological or religious motives, everything was simpler: new weaving and spinning looms replaced hundreds of workers, which, of course, the workers did not like. So the Luddist is a person who has been left without work as a result of replacing him with a machine or other technological device.

It all began with Ned Ludd, who was credited with destroying looms. True, it is for certain unknown whether such a person actually existed. But his followers did not interfere. They engaged in the fact that they broke various machines, machines and other units, which gradually supplanted the low-skilled workers at various enterprises.

Spread

In 1811, this movement spread to the whole of England, Luddists broke woolen and cotton processing factories. But the government quickly and rigidly suppressed them.

Later, a law was introduced, according to which the destruction or damage of cars, like any other industrial sabotage, was punished with the death penalty, and adhering to the ideas of Luddism became deadly dangerous. True, the workers still had no choice, and they protested further. Which, however, is logical, because a Luddist is usually a low-skilled worker, and it was difficult for him to find a job.

Many of the protesters were sent to Australia, others were completely executed. And for some time the British troops were engaged in suppressing the Luddist uprisings more actively than they resisted Napoleon.

In our time the Luddist is a man who is opposed to the achievements of science and progress. True, now they are often called "Neo-Luddites" or "Neo-Luddists." By the way, in official use there are both varieties of this word.