The article tells about what a luddist is, what the followers of such a social movement did and whether they are in our time.
The twentieth century is also interesting because during itthe development of scientific and technical progress was 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 used to enjoying the achievements of science andtechnology, but it was not always so, and at some times people openly resisted new inventions that made life easier for them, or they were afraid of them, considering them unsuitable. 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.
Luddist is a man who opposeddevelopment of scientific and technical 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 a 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 withdestruction of 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 that gradually supplanted the low-skilled workers at various enterprises.
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 whichdestruction or damage to machines, like any other industrial sabotage, was punishable by death, and sticking 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, 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, a luddist is a person whois 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.
