Who were the Luddites and why did they protest machinery?

The Luddites were organized bands of 19th-century English handicraftsmen who protested the Industrial Revolution by destroying textile machinery. The movement began in late 1811 near Nottingham and spread across several English counties.1

The Luddites protested because the rapid mechanization of the textile industry—driven by inventions like the power loom and the transition to steam-powered machinery—was displacing skilled workers and threatening their livelihoods. Operating primarily at night and often masked, they took their name from a likely mythical figure named Ned Ludd, who was proverbially associated with the destruction of equipment.123

While the Luddites generally avoided violence against people, the movement faced severe government repression, including mass trials and executions. The protests eventually subsided due to these harsh measures and a return to economic prosperity. Today, the term is used more broadly to describe individuals or groups who oppose technological change.13