The Battle Against the Luddites: Unrest in the Industrial Revolution During the Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars saw the rise of Luddism, a movement that saw workers destroy machinery as a threat to their livelihood. This led to industrial unrest and the largest economic depression of the era, with famine, pestilence and rising employment fuelling the fires of Luddism. Paul L. Dawson explores the origins of Luddism and their allies in the middle classes, and how the changes in Britain between 1790 and 1815 created a unique set of social grievances.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 04 July 2023
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

As the columns of French infantry marched up the slopes of the Mont St Jean at Waterloo, the British heavy cavalry, the Royal Scots Greys to the fore, crashed into the packed ranks of the enemy. This was not the first time the Greys had drawn their swords during the Napoleonic Wars – but it was their first against Napoleon's troops. Three years earlier, they had attacked workers in Halifax protesting at the introduction of machinery in the wool trade. Taking their name from Ned Ludd, who had smashed up knitting frames in Nottingham, the Luddites saw the emergence of mechanisation as a threat to their livelihood, with men replacing machines. In response, they took matters into their own hands by wrecking the new equipment. Industrial unrest had gathered pace throughout the 18th century and exploded in an unprecedented wave of violence in 1799. Outbreaks of machine-breaking developed rapidly into strikes in a battle of capital against labour. A court battle ensued, culminating in new legislation in 1806 that backed the capitalists. This act, coupled with the impact of the Continental system introduced by Napoleon, which closed European and American ports to British merchants, heralded the largest economic depression of the era. Famine, pestilence, and rising employment all fuelled the fires of Luddism. Months of violence swept across the West Midlands, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, which saw one factory boss murdered; other factory owners began shooting protesting workers. The disturbances resulted in the mobilising of thousands of regular soldiers – at one time, there were as many British soldiers fighting the Luddites as there were fighting Napoleon on the Iberian Peninsula. As well as exploring these events, Paul L. Dawson also uncovers the origins of Luddism and their allies in the Industrial Revolution.

As the columns of French infantry marched up the slopes of the Mont St Jean at Waterloo, the British heavy cavalry, the Royal Scots Greys to the fore, crashed into the packed ranks of the enemy. This was not the first time the Greys had drawn their swords during the Napoleonic Wars – but it was their first against Napoleon's troops. Three years earlier, they had attacked workers in Halifax protesting at the introduction of machinery in the wool trade. Taking their name from Ned Ludd, who had smashed up knitting frames in Nottingham, the Luddites saw the emergence of mechanisation as a threat to their livelihood, with men replacing machines. In response, they took matters into their own hands by wrecking the new equipment. Industrial unrest had gathered pace throughout the 18th century and exploded in an unprecedented wave of violence in 1799. Outbreaks of machine-breaking developed rapidly into strikes in a battle of capital against labour. A court battle ensued, culminating in new legislation in 1806 that backed the capitalists. This act, coupled with the impact of the Continental system introduced by Napoleon, which closed European and American ports to British merchants, heralded the largest economic depression of the era. Famine, pestilence, and rising employment all fuelled the fires of Luddism. Months of violence swept across the West Midlands, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, which saw one factory boss murdered; other factory owners began shooting protesting workers. The disturbances resulted in the mobilising of thousands of regular soldiers – at one time, there were as many British soldiers fighting the Luddites as there were fighting Napoleon on the Iberian Peninsula. As well as exploring these events, Paul L. Dawson also uncovers the origins of Luddism and their allies in the Industrial Revolution.

Weight: 542g
Dimension: 241 x 164 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399052405