Luddite

The term Luddism (often congruent with "Machine storm " is used ) refers to one of the great waves of the struggle of English workers in the early 19th century against the threat of loss of status and social deprivation by the onset of industrialization.

The Luddites were textile workers, who fought against the deterioration of their living conditions during the Industrial Revolution, while also deliberately destroyed machines. Named after its legendary fictional leader Ned Ludd movement was crushed by the military until 1814. A lot of stakeholders were executed or deported to Australia.

Ned Ludd

Views of the Luddites were regardless of the actual authorship often with Ned Ludd, who was also known as King Ludd, General Ludd or Captain Ludd, signed. Ned Ludd acted as a fictitious leader of the Luddites and collective pseudonym of the different groups. He was the Wiedergutmacher or Large executor, who defended the rights of traditional artisans and journeymen.

History

The movement was born in 1811 in Nottingham. Until 1812, it spread all over England. The Luddites destroyed numerous woolen and cotton mills. The greatest strength they developed in November 1811 in Nottinghamshire, early 1812 in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and from March 1812 in Lancashire. Control rights battles fought the Luddites with the military in Burton's Mill in Middleton and in Westhoughton Mill, both in Lancashire. Other targets were judges and grocers, as the judges too harsh action against Luddites were accused during the grocers were accused of blackmail to demand the low wages of the workers for their goods.

In the episode " Luddite " (sabotage ) has been declared a felony and depressed the movement militarily. Many Luddites were executed by mass trials or deported to Australia.

The Luddism is one of the great cycles of struggles of the English working class in the early 19th century. It is embedded in a general increase in the unrest that led to the uprising of Pentrich eg 1817.

Reception

In the reception progressive devout political views, such as liberalism and later social democracy and Leninism, the Luddites were perceived as reactionary and anti-technology.

Edward Palmer Thompson

Edward Palmer Thompson's book: The Making of the English Working Class was also in a broader public to a new understanding of Luddism at. According to Thompson, the Luddites were not opposed to the new technology, but opponents of the new economic relations ( as abolition of fixed prices ), which should be enforced as part of their introduction to the main action.

The machines were not indiscriminately attacked as a putative cause of this change. The destruction of the machine was accordingly an organized and targeted form of action that was directed against certain property owners who should be moved to comply with the old rules, while other machine owners were often spared. The high efficiency, targeting and organization of luddistischen actions with up to 100 participants Thompson applies also as an indication of the wide acceptance of the Luddites in their communities.

Overall, appear to Thompson, the long time standard in the Left ideas - Luddites are rampaging gangs or limited workers, who see in the machines themselves the cause of their misery - as a continuation of that propaganda of government and property owners. In reality, the Luddites were not investigated further as people came together to defend their interests and for promising ways.

Lord Byron

One of the few prominent advocate of the Luddites and opponents of repressive measures was Lord Byron. So he defended in his maiden speech on 27 February 1812, the actions of the Luddites of his constituency Nottinghamshire in the House of Lords of the British Parliament. He also turned in 1812 with a moderating speech against the frame Breaking Bill. In 1816 he celebrated the Luddites in his poem Song of the Luddites:

Neo - Luddism

Even in the 20th and 21st century, there are luddistische structures such as the Adbusters Media Foundation, an organization critical of consumption. Other luddistische groups such as the German " Hekla Reception Committee " or the Italian " Nucleo Olga Federazione Anarchica Informal Fronte Rivoluzionario Internazionale" take arson attacks on transport or attacks on people who deal with nuclear or nanotechnologies.

Worth mentioning

• The metalcore band Heaven Shall Burn sings in her song The Final March the battle of the Luddites.
• Ernst Toller created a drama called The Luddites.
• In the song White Coats by New Model Army, which deals critically with technical progress, a " toast to the Luddite martyrs then / who died in vain" applied.
• In Terry Pratchett's novel The Time Thief, a thieves' guild of foundlings is referred to as " Ludd 's boy ".
• In the fantasy saga The Dark Tower ( The Dark Tower ) by the American writer Stephen King appeared on the devastated city of Lud and whose name is from a later occurring in the novel series (partly fictional) Stephen King associated with Luddism.
• In Sam & Max: Season One Sybil refers to the two main characters as Luddites because they do not have a computer.
• In The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, the protagonist Sybil Gerard is the daughter of an executed Luddite agitator.
• The American author Thomas Pynchon published on October 28, 1984 an essay titled Is it OK to be a Luddite? .
• In Scott Westerfelds Leviathan trilogy people will have the fear of the new genetic creations known as monkey - Luddites.
• In the TV series The Black List 1 Episode 8 is worked against a group of Luddites in Season. The group is called General Ludd.