The Luddites  

Although the Industrial Revolution did improve and aid technological developments, it was not always looked at in a positive light. It caused many people to lose their jobs as they were replaced by machines.  

One main group that revolted against the revolution was the Luddites. They were a group of people that went through the country, mainly in the following regions – Nottingham , Derby , Leicester , Yorkshire , Lancashire , and Cheshire . They went through these areas breaking machines, to express their rage at the wool and cotton industries. They used this violent form of rebellion to protest against wage reductions (as in Nottinghamshire) or the introduction of machinery that would take away jobs from hand weavers. Other motivations for the Luddites were the shortage of food due to the wars with America and France , the poor quality of material being produced, and the horrible working conditions. In addition to merely breaking materials, they would attack officials working in the textile industry who were promoting the usage of machinery (such as employers, merchants, and magistrates). The violence was heightened and eventual led to violence between the Luddites and soldiers of Britain . Due to the increase in the violence, the government eventually passed laws making breaking of machines punishable by death. Great measures were taken to frighten, capture, or dissuade the Luddites. In addition to the laws, rewards were promised to those who offered information, while people were kept to guard factories which could be destroyed by the Luddites.  

The Luddites groups of men who identified each other by numbers instead of names. Their attacks were premeditated, before the attack, they would gather in a forest surrounding the town or village they intended to attack. During the attack they strategically placed themselves, watching the entrances of the factories for authorities to interrupt their attack, while others of the group would make a show of force with arms to avoid any distractions or interruptions. This shows that Luddites were an organized force. However, since they did not use names to recognize each other, if a member of this group was trying to find other Luddites on unfamiliar territory, he would roam the streets, raising his right hand over his right eye from time to time. This was a signal that he was a Luddite; a proper response from another Luddite would be to raise his left hand over his left eye.  

Sources

Silverio, Felix. The Luddites . 28 Sept. 1999. 21 Mar. 2006

      < http://www.gober.net/victorian/reports/luddites.html >.  

The National Archives Learning Curve Center . 2006. Learning Curve. 21 Mar. 2006 < http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/index/default1750.htm >