To this day, when discussing the Luddites, there are two competing narratives. The first is the anti-Luddite narrative. It essentially states they were were ignorant anti-progress craftsmen who smashed up machines and inevitably lost. This is essentially the “official” narrative. The other is the pro-Luddite narrative. It states that skilled workers correctly recognised that industrial capitalism was destroying their livelihoods, resisted exploitation, and were brutally suppressed by the state. Both sides actually contain elements of historical truth. It wasn’t as simple as them being good or bad. A lot of context is left out. What’s left out of both discussions I think is the unique socioeconomic conditions that made the movement possible to begin with, and honestly a story of how violent revolt doesn’t always work out in favour of the people. 🧵