Luddites
Q: Beginning with L, what movement destroyed multiple English textile factories in the 19th century to protest the industrial revolution?
A: Luddites
Back in the early 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution in England, the Luddites were a group of textile workers who protested against the technological advances that were threatening their livelihoods. They were mainly skilled artisans, like weavers and textile workers, who saw machines as a threat to their jobs and the quality of their craftsmanship.
The Luddites were particularly famous for their acts of protest. They channelled their inner Tom Morello, and Raged Against the Machine – breaking into factories and smashing the newly introduced equipment that they believed would replace them. Their name comes from Ned Ludd, a mythological figure said to be the inspiration for their movement. Luddites believed that these machines would destroy their way of life, reduce wages, and lead to unemployment as factories favoured cheaper, unskilled labour over their highly specialized skills.
Luckily, this is a problem that was left in the 19th century.
Just joking. When modern day Luddite, Bob from your office blames the IT department for losing his passwords and replies-all on an email to 3000 staff members – just remember he has likely learned from his father, and his father’s father and so on – back to the 19th century.