Luddism

The word

The term finds its origin in the name of an English workman, John or Ned Ludd (sometimes called “King Ludd” or “General Ludd”), which would have destroyed two weaving looms in 1780. The authenticity of this event and its exact motivations remain however discussed. One is unaware of in fact if there truly existed. But of the signed letters of this name were sent in 1811, threatening the owners of the textile industry of sabotage.

The term “luddism” is now used more generally in a pejorative way to fustigate all those which are opposed to new technologies (one speaks even about “Néo-luddisme”).

Origin of the movement

The Industrial revolution upsets England of the beginning of the 19th century. In the medium of the textile, three professions are particularly threatened by the appearance of power looms: the cloth shearers , the tisserands on cotton and the tricoteurs on trade . Those which practice them are rather powerful craftsmen, organized well in spite of the laws of 1799 prohibiting any association in England (Combination Acts), and better parcelled out than the workmen who work in the factories. These very technical trades are determining for the quality of cloths or fabrics: according to the work of a cloth shearer, for example, the price of the end product can vary from 20%.

Years 1811-1812 crystallize rancours of the English popular layers and especially those of these craftsmen. It is that, in addition to the economic crisis, bad harvests and the famine, these years mark the end of the paternalist policies which protected the craftsmen and launching in large pump from the policy of the “Leave-to make” - one would speak today about Economic liberalism. The old rights of the shearers and tisserands are thus removed to them, and they are stripped to fight against manufactures and factories using of the more powerful machines and practitioner of the methods of management of the personnel close to slavery.

The wages of the shearers fall, the orders also, and their cry against the industrialization of an ancestral know-how and the destruction of a trade meets an echo despaired in the popular class crushed by an impoverishment of work.

The revolt of the luddists

March 1811: with Nottingham, a trade-union demonstration shearers on cloth is severely repressed by the soldiers. In the night, 60 weaving looms are destroyed by a group resulting from the demonstrators. It is about a spontaneous movement.
November 1811: the movement was organized and certain leaders start to spread the dispute, in particular with the Yorkshire. Many factories are the subject of “targeted” destruction since only the trades of the owners having practiced price drops are dislocated.
Winter 1811-1812: the movement still extends and becomes insurrectionary. The attacks of factories become planned and methodical. The luddists attack in small groups, they are armed and masked.
April 1812: in Yorkshire, where it is almost the revolution, an attack of luddists against a factory with Rawfolds fails, out of many workmen are killed. The movement is radicalized.
May 1812 (11): the Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated.
Be 1812: the armed actions continue, of the money collections are organized. A true conspiracy occurs, with for objective reversing the government.
at the end of 1812: the movement continues in the Lancashire, but the revolt more spontaneous and is organized there. The repression of the British government is done harder.

Actions in factories will continue sporadically until 1817.

The movement was quickly diffused in all England and a true war engaged between the luddites and the British government. It is estimated that at a certain period, England had mobilized more men to fight the luddites than to fight Napoleon.

End of the revolt

In 1812, the craftsmen of the textile try to borrow the constitutional way: they propose at the Parliament to adopt a law to protect their trade. They pay with the full price lawyers, do a true work of lobbying, but the law is not adopted.

During this time, the luddists obtained a partial satisfaction: the wages increased, the economic pressure was slackened a little. And in same time, the arrests weakened the movement.

In 1813, a law founding the capital punishment for the breaking of machine is ratified, in spite of the protests and the lampoons of Lord Byron, inter alia. Thirteen luddists are hung.

So luddists are active until 1817, their destruction become increasingly desperate. In fact, the three trades mentioned almost will disappear at dawn from the years 1820.

If the luddists disappear as such, they however will nourish other labor movements of the beginning of the 19th century. The dispute will become underground or legal before re-appearing in force a few years later and leading to the Chartisme.

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