The Luddites weren’t anti-technology—they opposed machines that destroyed their livelihoods and benefited factory owners at workers’ expense. Their resistance was a critique of the social and economic chaos caused by the Industrial Revolution. Over time, “Luddite” became an insult due to capitalist propaganda, dismissing their valid concerns about inequality and exploitation. Seen in context, they were early critics of unchecked capitalism and harmful technological change—issues still relevant today.
important to clarify that child labor wasn’t the primary source of the Luddites’ opposition, but was certainly a part of the system they were trying to smash!! huge and important facts, ty for sharing!
Textile cottage industry used copious amounts of unpaid child labor, and what's more, working families of the period and region regularly would send their children into the mines to exploit their labor for the sake of a small increase in the family's finances, so I doubt that was particularly part of the system they wanted to smash.
yes 👍