The article talks about what a luddist is, what the followers of such a social movement did, and whether they are in our time.
Technics
The XX century is also interesting because during it the development of scientific and technological progress went at an unprecedented, gigantic pace. If you look into the depths of history, then there has never been anything like it. This trend has been observed in recent years. According to some scientists, the day is near when the real technological singularity will come .
We are all used to using the achievements of science and technology, but this was not always the case, and at some times people openly opposed new inventions that made their life easier, or were afraid of them, considering them objectionable. This was approximately the same in the first quarter of the 19th century in England, when the movement of the followers of Ned Ludd arose there, they called themselves Luddists, or Luddites. What is this, we will analyze.
Definition
A Luddist is a person who opposed the development of scientific and technological progress. They existed in the first half of the 19th 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 machines replaced hundreds of workers, which, of course, did not please the workers. So a luddist is a person who has been left without work as a result of replacing it with a machine tool or other technological device.
It all started with Ned Ludd, who was credited with the destruction of looms. True, it is not known for certain whether such a person actually existed. But his followers did not interfere. They were engaged in the fact that they broke down various machine tools, machines and other units, which gradually replaced the low-skilled workers at various enterprises.
Spread
In 1811, this movement spread to the whole of England, the Luddists broke woolen and cotton processing factories. But the government quickly and severely crushed them.
Later, a law was introduced according to which the destruction or deterioration of machines, like any other industrial sabotage, was punishable by death, and adhering to the ideas of Luddism became deadly. True, the workers still had no choice, and they protested further. Which, however, is logical, because a luddist is, as a rule, a low-skilled worker, and it was difficult for him to find a job.
Many of the protesters were sent to Australia, while others were executed at all. And for some time the British troops were more active in suppressing the Luddist uprisings than they resisted Napoleon.
Nowadays, a luddist is a person who resists 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.