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Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech
Longlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year
The "rich and gripping" true story of the first time machines came for human jobs—and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech and AI today (Naomi Klein) The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.
The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines—on punishment of death—and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.
Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it?
The answers lie in Blood in the Machine . Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world—and is shaping our future.
The "rich and gripping" true story of the first time machines came for human jobs—and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech and AI today (Naomi Klein) The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.
The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines—on punishment of death—and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.
Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it?
The answers lie in Blood in the Machine . Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world—and is shaping our future.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 30, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
January 8, 2024
A history of the Luddite movement in England in 1812 and 1813, Blood in the Machine is a fascinating account told in an unusual way. Each piece of the history is told through the lives of the men who took part and those who crushed the rebellion. In separate, tiny chapters that are headed with the person's name, their stories are told. Also important literary figures who supported or were influenced by the Luddites are here, such as Lord Byron, Percy Shelley and Mary Shelley. All in all, a novel and mesmerizing account of a time that mirrors some of the same problems that workers struggle with today.
January 3, 2025
perhaps These Times... aren't so unprecedented.......... after all 😌🔥🔥🔨🔨🔨
December 3, 2023
Blood in the Machine is a comprehensive history of the Luddites correcting the derogatory usage of the term. Merchant makes it like historical fiction by tracking main characters in the story focusing on Lord Byron, George Mellor, Cartwright, Horsfall, the informant B and others. What makes it more compelling is drawing parallels between mills and factories of the industrial revolution and automation or optimization of the big tech behemoths 200 years later. It even goes back 2000 years to Aristotles’ automated chariot (self driving car?) replacing slaves (today’s truckers, uber drivers or other gig workers). Analysis of labor abuses and socioeconomic inequalities is not as notable as the history portion. Still is a very informative read for me.
August 13, 2025
Exceptionally timely, supremely engaging and thoroughly researched history of The Luddites. Reads almost like historical fiction as the author follows key individuals from that period, dedicates a chapter to their actions and gradually weaves their compelling stories together, while only periodically interjecting connections to similarities in today's struggles with technology. Upon completing I felt like this would make a fantastic screenplay - it was that engaging and relevant!
The first two thirds of the book cover the history and the last third is focused on more deeply contemporising, while also delicately injecting proposals for actions that would potentially create a healthier situation.
Given that the majority of people who are familiar with the word luddite generally use it as a derogatory term, now is a critical time to read this book and understand how we got here and what may need to be done to take the lessons of the past and aid us in correcting course.
The first two thirds of the book cover the history and the last third is focused on more deeply contemporising, while also delicately injecting proposals for actions that would potentially create a healthier situation.
Given that the majority of people who are familiar with the word luddite generally use it as a derogatory term, now is a critical time to read this book and understand how we got here and what may need to be done to take the lessons of the past and aid us in correcting course.
November 20, 2023
Made me upset! Good book!
February 4, 2024
"Luddite" is what they call you if you’re slow to get a smartphone or you’re not sure if you want the sky filled with amazon delivery drones. The implication is you’re an old fart who’s scared of anything new.
But who were the actual Luddites? That’s what this book explores.
Imagine it’s the early 1800s, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in England. You’re a skilled weaver or other textile worker. You have apprenticed to a master weaver for years to learn your craft. Your community enjoys some measure of prosperity and power because of this work and its value on the market. But just as you’re about to take the next step in your career, you’re no longer wanted.
Instead, the boss is filling the factory with machines, and replacing you with a crew of enslaved children — maybe orphans brought in from the city — who will risk their short lives and tiny limbs to keep those machines running. The cloth created from this is cheap and flimsy but your old boss can export it to other countries. He is growing monstrously rich while your family and neighbors are beginning to starve.
At the same time: it’s very illegal to even talk about forming a union.
So instead the Luddites formed underground cells of resistance. They met at night in the same Sherwood Forest that spawned the legend of Robin Hood. They said a mythical General Ludd was leading them. They raided the factories with massive hammers, to smash “all Machinery hurtful to Commonality.” They had each others' backs and kept each others' secrets. They wrote broadsides as 'Lady Ludd,' warning the factory owners, explaining their behaviors, demanding justice.
And they didn't win. They were hung. They were exiled to Australia. The new child-operated factories were making too much money, so the same class that was getting rich off of them passed a law that gave a death sentence to machine-breakers. As a final tragedy, their name turned into an insult, to call someone old and slow.
But. This book does something extraordinary: it tries to bend this long arc of history toward something like justice for the Luddites. Merchant shows how their resistance bought time. They made it a little more costly to destroy entire communities. The Luddites made factory owners a little worried about how far they could push immiseration. They set the groundwork. Eventually their sacrifices led to some workplace protections.
And as for the meaning of the name Luddite: maybe now, 200 years later, it can become an honorific instead of an insult. More people are adopting "Luddite" or "neo-Luddite" as a political stance. After reading this I'm joining them.
5 things the Luddites in this book taught me:
1) Don’t be naive. Look beyond the hype. Think about power — who has it, who’s seizing it, what they’ll do with it.
2) Don't buy the fantasy of full automation. From the beginning, deskilled (child) labor was supposed to be a temporary measure, until the process could be fully automated. But even after two centuries, degraded labor is required to power the looms.
3) Don't say robots are coming for your jobs. Your bosses are coming for your jobs. They’re the ones making the decisions to buy expensive technology in order to replace good jobs with bad ones, to strip power from the workers, and to create flimsy products in need of constant replacement.
4) Certain technologies aren't inevitable. We don't have to accept them. Those AI tools, filling your feed with deep-fakes, impersonating the voices of your loved ones in scam calls, making the internet less useful every month? The tools used by bosses to fire writers and artists and replace them with poorly-paid AI-handlers? Those gigworker apps, allowing corporations to treat workers as disposable, demolishing industries were workers have power? The surveillance technology used by the richest men in the world to harass workers so they have to urinate in bottles rather than take a bathroom break? The machinery used in war, in racist policing, in climate apocalypse? These are all Machines hurtful to Commonality. They can all be refused. They can all be broken.
5) But Luddism isn’t about hating or fearing technology. The Luddites themselves were technologists, devising new ways to improve their work. They tried to get factory owners to adopt machines that would make their lives easier — including one that would better measure the quality of their work, so they weren’t subject to the buyer’s whims about how much they should be paid. Factory owners refused.
So their legacy allows us now to ask: what technologies would strengthen commonality? We have bicycles, mass transit, and that apex of all human civilization: interlibrary loan. What else could be possible?
What would need to happen for ordinary people to have the power to steer technological development toward something that would benefit all of us rather than harm us? Can we even imagine it?
Merchant sums up his book by noting: “People tire quickly of being treated like automatons, it turns out. We’re all Luddites that way.”
Amen. No war but class war, and no general but General Ludd!
But who were the actual Luddites? That’s what this book explores.
Imagine it’s the early 1800s, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in England. You’re a skilled weaver or other textile worker. You have apprenticed to a master weaver for years to learn your craft. Your community enjoys some measure of prosperity and power because of this work and its value on the market. But just as you’re about to take the next step in your career, you’re no longer wanted.
Instead, the boss is filling the factory with machines, and replacing you with a crew of enslaved children — maybe orphans brought in from the city — who will risk their short lives and tiny limbs to keep those machines running. The cloth created from this is cheap and flimsy but your old boss can export it to other countries. He is growing monstrously rich while your family and neighbors are beginning to starve.
At the same time: it’s very illegal to even talk about forming a union.
So instead the Luddites formed underground cells of resistance. They met at night in the same Sherwood Forest that spawned the legend of Robin Hood. They said a mythical General Ludd was leading them. They raided the factories with massive hammers, to smash “all Machinery hurtful to Commonality.” They had each others' backs and kept each others' secrets. They wrote broadsides as 'Lady Ludd,' warning the factory owners, explaining their behaviors, demanding justice.
And they didn't win. They were hung. They were exiled to Australia. The new child-operated factories were making too much money, so the same class that was getting rich off of them passed a law that gave a death sentence to machine-breakers. As a final tragedy, their name turned into an insult, to call someone old and slow.
But. This book does something extraordinary: it tries to bend this long arc of history toward something like justice for the Luddites. Merchant shows how their resistance bought time. They made it a little more costly to destroy entire communities. The Luddites made factory owners a little worried about how far they could push immiseration. They set the groundwork. Eventually their sacrifices led to some workplace protections.
And as for the meaning of the name Luddite: maybe now, 200 years later, it can become an honorific instead of an insult. More people are adopting "Luddite" or "neo-Luddite" as a political stance. After reading this I'm joining them.
5 things the Luddites in this book taught me:
1) Don’t be naive. Look beyond the hype. Think about power — who has it, who’s seizing it, what they’ll do with it.
2) Don't buy the fantasy of full automation. From the beginning, deskilled (child) labor was supposed to be a temporary measure, until the process could be fully automated. But even after two centuries, degraded labor is required to power the looms.
3) Don't say robots are coming for your jobs. Your bosses are coming for your jobs. They’re the ones making the decisions to buy expensive technology in order to replace good jobs with bad ones, to strip power from the workers, and to create flimsy products in need of constant replacement.
4) Certain technologies aren't inevitable. We don't have to accept them. Those AI tools, filling your feed with deep-fakes, impersonating the voices of your loved ones in scam calls, making the internet less useful every month? The tools used by bosses to fire writers and artists and replace them with poorly-paid AI-handlers? Those gigworker apps, allowing corporations to treat workers as disposable, demolishing industries were workers have power? The surveillance technology used by the richest men in the world to harass workers so they have to urinate in bottles rather than take a bathroom break? The machinery used in war, in racist policing, in climate apocalypse? These are all Machines hurtful to Commonality. They can all be refused. They can all be broken.
5) But Luddism isn’t about hating or fearing technology. The Luddites themselves were technologists, devising new ways to improve their work. They tried to get factory owners to adopt machines that would make their lives easier — including one that would better measure the quality of their work, so they weren’t subject to the buyer’s whims about how much they should be paid. Factory owners refused.
So their legacy allows us now to ask: what technologies would strengthen commonality? We have bicycles, mass transit, and that apex of all human civilization: interlibrary loan. What else could be possible?
What would need to happen for ordinary people to have the power to steer technological development toward something that would benefit all of us rather than harm us? Can we even imagine it?
Merchant sums up his book by noting: “People tire quickly of being treated like automatons, it turns out. We’re all Luddites that way.”
Amen. No war but class war, and no general but General Ludd!
January 2, 2024
This was FASCINATING. I said for years that I was waiting on a popular nonfiction book about the Luddites, and I am so glad it finally appeared! I really appreciated the short chapters from different perspectives, and though I found the last section about modern Luddite-esque organizing a little less impressive than the historical stuff, I still had a really good time overall, and I already have a bunch of other related books on hold at the library (especially can't wait for the Lord Byron biography, what a weirdo). Highly recommend for anyone with even a passing interest in this much-misunderstood movement from the early days of the Industrial Revolution.
September 19, 2023
*4.25
Blood in the Machine dives into the history of the Luddites and the conditions it took for them to rebel against factory owners trying to displace them. I originally wasn't very familiar with the history of the Luddites, but I could easily see the connection the author was making between then and current day. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in this history. Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Blood in the Machine dives into the history of the Luddites and the conditions it took for them to rebel against factory owners trying to displace them. I originally wasn't very familiar with the history of the Luddites, but I could easily see the connection the author was making between then and current day. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in this history. Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2023
"No general but Ludd means the poor any good!".
April 13, 2024
O título “Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech” (2023), do livro de Brian Merchant, indica desde logo ao que vem. O foco é um momento curto da história recente, início do século XIX, quando surgiram em Nottingham as primeiras máquinas de automatização da produção têxtil. Apesar de muito do trabalho já usar maquinaria, com a acoplação de sistemas impulsionados a vapor — essência da revolução industrial — estas máquinas conseguiram muito rapidamente dispensar milhares de trabalhadores altamente treinados. A reação à introdução da tecnologia foi violenta, com o pico a acontecer entre 1811 e 1813, conduzindo à destruição de milhares de máquinas por parte dos trabalhadores. Face à perseguição policial e a continuidade da introdução das máquinas por parte dos donos das fábricas, os trabalhadores acabariam por se organizar de forma semi-espontânea, criando movimentos subterrâneos que seriam depois rotulados como Ludditas, baseado no uso que fizeram de uma personagem ficcional que criaram para apresentar como líder, o General Ludd. Merchant traça a história detalhada desses anos, tentando dar conta daquilo que pensaram e sentiram todas aquelas pessoas que viram o reconhecimento das suas competências ser roubado por máquinas, procurando o paralelo com o momento que vivemos atualmente com tecnologias como a IA.
O que me espantou mais neste livro foi sem dúvida a extensão da rebelião. Já tinha lido vários textos sobre o assunto, confesso que nada muito detalhado, mais trabalhos jornalísticos e pequenas referências em artigos sobre as tecnologias de informação, mas nada disso me tinha oferecido qualquer imagem próxima do que aqui vim encontrar. Não que me surpreenda, 1811 foi há dois séculos, mas pior do que isso, trata daqueles que não tinham voz, nem vieram depois a tê-la, sabendo nós como a história acaba por sempre dedicar mais páginas a relatar o trabalho dos vencedores do que dos vencidos.
Por outro lado, e se Merchant faz um trabalho excecional de levantamento detalhado do que se passou, parece-me que se deixa levar pelo discurso dessa oposição à tecnologia —envolvido por muito do romantismo da época, recorde-se que o próprio Lord Byron se envolveu na questão — à medida que se vai aproximando do final do livro, para atacar cada vez mais fundo todo e qualquer avanço tecnológico, chegando quase a passar a ideia da tecnologia como um mal. Compreendendo o impacto que cada mudança tem na sociedade, é inevitável reconhecer os imensos benefícios que a vida em pleno século XXI usufrui dessas mesmas mudanças provocadas pela tecnologia.
Neste sentido, é preciso filtrar o discurso final de Merchant e extrair o principal que assenta na defesa dos direitos dos trabalhadores. Merchant defende, e bem, que o maior problema foi sempre o modo como os empreendedores nessa altura usaram dessas tecnologias para abusar dos seus trabalhadores. A violência desse abuso foi de tal ordem que os trabalhadores não só se viram obrigados a rebelar-se, mas por falta de ação do estado em sua defesa, a criar o movimento que viria a originar o primeiro sindicato nacional, o National Association for Labour Protection, 1830, precedendo o manifesto de Karl Marx.
Assim, se Merchant escreveu este livro para aprendermos com quem lutou contra a automação há 200 anos, a lição mais importante a extrair é de que vamos precisar de mais e não menos sindicatos. Porque sabemos que nenhuma destas tecnologias será parada, como nunca o foi. E não o foi porque sem o seu constante progresso é muito mais difícil estabilizar uma classe média ampla. Uma grande parte da tecnologia que criamos tem por objetivo criar riqueza e abundância. Para o fazer é mais fácil minimizar os fatores humanos, pois mesmo com formação contínua não conseguimos colocar um humano a trabalhar muito mais rápido ou por mais tempo.
Por isso as duas frentes são fundamentais: o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e a proteção das comunidades. É fundamental evitar que quem detém o poder em cada fase de transição se possa aproveitar de quem está em posições desprivilegiadas. Porque se criamos tecnologia que nos ajuda a sermos mais eficientes, o retorno da mesma não pode ser apenas direcionado para quem a detém, este precisa de reverter para toda a comunidade que cria e sustém o ecossistema em que essa tecnologia é introduzida.
3.5/5
Publicado no Narrativa X.
https://narrativax.blogspot.com/2024/...
O que me espantou mais neste livro foi sem dúvida a extensão da rebelião. Já tinha lido vários textos sobre o assunto, confesso que nada muito detalhado, mais trabalhos jornalísticos e pequenas referências em artigos sobre as tecnologias de informação, mas nada disso me tinha oferecido qualquer imagem próxima do que aqui vim encontrar. Não que me surpreenda, 1811 foi há dois séculos, mas pior do que isso, trata daqueles que não tinham voz, nem vieram depois a tê-la, sabendo nós como a história acaba por sempre dedicar mais páginas a relatar o trabalho dos vencedores do que dos vencidos.
Por outro lado, e se Merchant faz um trabalho excecional de levantamento detalhado do que se passou, parece-me que se deixa levar pelo discurso dessa oposição à tecnologia —envolvido por muito do romantismo da época, recorde-se que o próprio Lord Byron se envolveu na questão — à medida que se vai aproximando do final do livro, para atacar cada vez mais fundo todo e qualquer avanço tecnológico, chegando quase a passar a ideia da tecnologia como um mal. Compreendendo o impacto que cada mudança tem na sociedade, é inevitável reconhecer os imensos benefícios que a vida em pleno século XXI usufrui dessas mesmas mudanças provocadas pela tecnologia.
Neste sentido, é preciso filtrar o discurso final de Merchant e extrair o principal que assenta na defesa dos direitos dos trabalhadores. Merchant defende, e bem, que o maior problema foi sempre o modo como os empreendedores nessa altura usaram dessas tecnologias para abusar dos seus trabalhadores. A violência desse abuso foi de tal ordem que os trabalhadores não só se viram obrigados a rebelar-se, mas por falta de ação do estado em sua defesa, a criar o movimento que viria a originar o primeiro sindicato nacional, o National Association for Labour Protection, 1830, precedendo o manifesto de Karl Marx.
Assim, se Merchant escreveu este livro para aprendermos com quem lutou contra a automação há 200 anos, a lição mais importante a extrair é de que vamos precisar de mais e não menos sindicatos. Porque sabemos que nenhuma destas tecnologias será parada, como nunca o foi. E não o foi porque sem o seu constante progresso é muito mais difícil estabilizar uma classe média ampla. Uma grande parte da tecnologia que criamos tem por objetivo criar riqueza e abundância. Para o fazer é mais fácil minimizar os fatores humanos, pois mesmo com formação contínua não conseguimos colocar um humano a trabalhar muito mais rápido ou por mais tempo.
Por isso as duas frentes são fundamentais: o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias e a proteção das comunidades. É fundamental evitar que quem detém o poder em cada fase de transição se possa aproveitar de quem está em posições desprivilegiadas. Porque se criamos tecnologia que nos ajuda a sermos mais eficientes, o retorno da mesma não pode ser apenas direcionado para quem a detém, este precisa de reverter para toda a comunidade que cria e sustém o ecossistema em que essa tecnologia é introduzida.
3.5/5
Publicado no Narrativa X.
https://narrativax.blogspot.com/2024/...
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July 19, 2024
Ok, I very much loved this and also Luddites are my new special interest and my friends are already tired of hearing me talk about this topic.
Review to come though, cause I am so exhausted.
Review to come though, cause I am so exhausted.
June 23, 2024
This is a non-fic about the Luddites, both the original and the current. I read it as buddy read for June 2024 at Non Fiction Book Club group. I was the one, who suggested it after reading the praise from Cory Doctorow, an SF author and activist I enjoy reading.
To say the truth, while I knew the term Luddite as the breaker of machinery, I never really connected it to any specific time period, up to the point that I thought that it happened in the 17th century, not in 1811-1813. I knew the reasons for the breaking – clothes industry guildsmen trying to prevent competition from more productive machinery using non-guild unskilled labor. However, this book shows a quite different picture.
From the very start, it is clear that the author is biased and he is clearly on the side of the rebels against owners of machines. Moreover, as someone said, ‘telling history is always about today and not the past’ meaning that among a multitude of facts each generation of historians picks what is a hot topic today, like e.g. currently popular women's history – it is not that suddenly someone found that half of the population throughout the last 5000 years were female, but the current struggle toward equality and more equal representation. This book constantly compares the eve of the Industrial Revolution and the current high-tech upheaval affecting millions of workplaces.
First of all the author states that ‘Luddites were protesting being forced into the factory system as much as they were resisting the machines that were replacing their jobs.’ They were not anti-progress or anti-machine, they just wanted to live as they did before: only guildsmen produced textiles and clothes, they had to work as an apprentice for 7 years, they had high standards and were responsible for high quality of the product. At the same time, it was common to work just thirty hours a week, on one’s own schedule, and take long weekends, there were mutual help groups and egalitarianism within the guilds. And since the late 1790s they had to compete against machines, often run by kids from orphanages (they were cheaper), who worked fourteen hours a day, six days a week, with a lone day off on Sunday. Initially, they attempted a legal way, for old laws forbade ways ‘that fabricate Articles in a fraudulent and Deceitful manner’, but it mostly was in vain. Therefore, they organized, armed themselves, trained (it wasn’t just a deranged drunken mob smashing everything!) and started attacks on (initially small) manufacturers, where they broke only those machines they saw as a threat to their livelihoods. According to the book, they may threatened the owners and their families but haven’t beaten or killed anyone.
However, this is the year 1811, when Napoleon continued his march across Europe, and the British nobility needed (1) money for war, (2) a strong pliant Homefront, (3) no revolution. Therefore, to quell the rebellion they sent more troops to the north where the rebellion took place than to Spain with Wellington. Moreover, they chose the side of industrialists, quite possibly due to their wealth. I think that the book significantly downplays the fears of revolution, like the French one with its guillotines. Add to this the fact that the rebels proclaimed
“The French have more sense than us,” George said. They saw the threat and toppled the ruling class in their revolution. His statement flirted with treason, even if it was not an uncommon opinion. Another Yorkshire resident echoed that sentiment, stating that, given how fed up people were with “bribery, corruption, luxury, tyranny, oppression, and poverty,” if Napoleon had invaded England, “they would have joined Bonaparte, for they were so much oppressed, they were ready to proceed to any act of violence and desperation, for none could get bread enough, and many died for want of it.”
It is interesting to note that the rebels made a lot of suggestions on how they can cohabitate with machines. They proposed an idea for blunting the pain of automation by taxing technology: “Proposals were in the air for gradual introduction of the machinery, with alternative employment found for displaced men, or for a tax of 6d. [sixpence] per yard upon cloth dressed by machinery, to be used as fund for the unemployed seeking work.” They suggested placement and retraining programs. They also proposed phase-in periods, or waiting for economic conditions to improve, so that automated machinery could be introduced less disruptively.
There are several famous writers linked to the rebellion, from Lord Byron, who as a member of the parliament supported Luddites to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, whose Frankenstein: The 1818 Text, according to the book is an allegory of the revolution (I don’t buy it). Finally, the last chapter goes about the current technological revolution – from Uber, to Amazon delivery, to roboticized factories etc., etc.
The text is emotional, readers’ hearts wrench after reading how whole families turned destitute and died from malnutrition or hunger, how to feed the expanded mechanized textile production slavery expended in the US to produce cotton, how kids were maimed by machines, etc. However, the bias the author has creates for him a blind spot when he writes about the other stakeholders, from the fact that small business owners, who purchased machines for their own money maybe also died from malnutrition (they were private businesses, not corporations) to multitudes of people now able to buy clothes formerly too expensive for them (which maybe saved them from cold and diseases.
To say the truth, while I knew the term Luddite as the breaker of machinery, I never really connected it to any specific time period, up to the point that I thought that it happened in the 17th century, not in 1811-1813. I knew the reasons for the breaking – clothes industry guildsmen trying to prevent competition from more productive machinery using non-guild unskilled labor. However, this book shows a quite different picture.
From the very start, it is clear that the author is biased and he is clearly on the side of the rebels against owners of machines. Moreover, as someone said, ‘telling history is always about today and not the past’ meaning that among a multitude of facts each generation of historians picks what is a hot topic today, like e.g. currently popular women's history – it is not that suddenly someone found that half of the population throughout the last 5000 years were female, but the current struggle toward equality and more equal representation. This book constantly compares the eve of the Industrial Revolution and the current high-tech upheaval affecting millions of workplaces.
First of all the author states that ‘Luddites were protesting being forced into the factory system as much as they were resisting the machines that were replacing their jobs.’ They were not anti-progress or anti-machine, they just wanted to live as they did before: only guildsmen produced textiles and clothes, they had to work as an apprentice for 7 years, they had high standards and were responsible for high quality of the product. At the same time, it was common to work just thirty hours a week, on one’s own schedule, and take long weekends, there were mutual help groups and egalitarianism within the guilds. And since the late 1790s they had to compete against machines, often run by kids from orphanages (they were cheaper), who worked fourteen hours a day, six days a week, with a lone day off on Sunday. Initially, they attempted a legal way, for old laws forbade ways ‘that fabricate Articles in a fraudulent and Deceitful manner’, but it mostly was in vain. Therefore, they organized, armed themselves, trained (it wasn’t just a deranged drunken mob smashing everything!) and started attacks on (initially small) manufacturers, where they broke only those machines they saw as a threat to their livelihoods. According to the book, they may threatened the owners and their families but haven’t beaten or killed anyone.
However, this is the year 1811, when Napoleon continued his march across Europe, and the British nobility needed (1) money for war, (2) a strong pliant Homefront, (3) no revolution. Therefore, to quell the rebellion they sent more troops to the north where the rebellion took place than to Spain with Wellington. Moreover, they chose the side of industrialists, quite possibly due to their wealth. I think that the book significantly downplays the fears of revolution, like the French one with its guillotines. Add to this the fact that the rebels proclaimed
“The French have more sense than us,” George said. They saw the threat and toppled the ruling class in their revolution. His statement flirted with treason, even if it was not an uncommon opinion. Another Yorkshire resident echoed that sentiment, stating that, given how fed up people were with “bribery, corruption, luxury, tyranny, oppression, and poverty,” if Napoleon had invaded England, “they would have joined Bonaparte, for they were so much oppressed, they were ready to proceed to any act of violence and desperation, for none could get bread enough, and many died for want of it.”
It is interesting to note that the rebels made a lot of suggestions on how they can cohabitate with machines. They proposed an idea for blunting the pain of automation by taxing technology: “Proposals were in the air for gradual introduction of the machinery, with alternative employment found for displaced men, or for a tax of 6d. [sixpence] per yard upon cloth dressed by machinery, to be used as fund for the unemployed seeking work.” They suggested placement and retraining programs. They also proposed phase-in periods, or waiting for economic conditions to improve, so that automated machinery could be introduced less disruptively.
There are several famous writers linked to the rebellion, from Lord Byron, who as a member of the parliament supported Luddites to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, whose Frankenstein: The 1818 Text, according to the book is an allegory of the revolution (I don’t buy it). Finally, the last chapter goes about the current technological revolution – from Uber, to Amazon delivery, to roboticized factories etc., etc.
The text is emotional, readers’ hearts wrench after reading how whole families turned destitute and died from malnutrition or hunger, how to feed the expanded mechanized textile production slavery expended in the US to produce cotton, how kids were maimed by machines, etc. However, the bias the author has creates for him a blind spot when he writes about the other stakeholders, from the fact that small business owners, who purchased machines for their own money maybe also died from malnutrition (they were private businesses, not corporations) to multitudes of people now able to buy clothes formerly too expensive for them (which maybe saved them from cold and diseases.
January 24, 2025
This was a fascinating read! I've heard the term Luddite used before, but I don't think I ever actually knew where it came from, and I certainly wasn't aware of the way it had been co-opted to be used as a derogatory when the purpose of the movement was really much more aligned with labor organizing. The chapters here are quite short and jump around between different POVs of people involved, either directly or tangentially. I was surprised by some of the "celebrity" cameos, such as Mary Shelley and Lord Byron, and I found the history presented here engaging. I also thought the way the author connected it back to things happening now with Big Tech worked really well, though I wish that had been a little more prevalent. Still, I thought this was engaging and I'd definitely recommend.
September 11, 2024
Vēsturi raksta uzvarētāji - ierakstot google «ludite» kā pirmo redzēsi skaidrojumu «a person opposed to new technology or ways of working». Un piemēru teikumā: «a small-minded Luddite resisting progress». Tātad ludīts ir tāds dumjš atpakaļrāpulis, kas baidās no jaunā.
Vēsturiski ludīti ir plaša kustība Anglijā 18.beigās-19.gs.sākumā, kas vērsās pret industrializāciju.
Līdz šim par viņiem zināju teju neko un bija interesanti lasīt versiju, kas kustību attaisno, parādot tās loģiskos argumentus. Iestāties nevis pret progresu kā tādu, bet dzīves kvalitātes, darba un nākotnes izredžu zaudēšanu nav iracionālas bailes, tas ir loģiski.
Grāmatā paralēli tiek veikts salīdzinājums ar mūsdienām, piešķirot jaunu dimensiju.
Vienu zvaigzni grāmata zaudē par pārāk garo ievada daļu - manuprāt, aptuveni stundu nebūtu jāpavada lasot, par ko būs un par ko nebūs šī grāmata, un kas iespaidoja tās tapšanu.
Vēsturiski ludīti ir plaša kustība Anglijā 18.beigās-19.gs.sākumā, kas vērsās pret industrializāciju.
Līdz šim par viņiem zināju teju neko un bija interesanti lasīt versiju, kas kustību attaisno, parādot tās loģiskos argumentus. Iestāties nevis pret progresu kā tādu, bet dzīves kvalitātes, darba un nākotnes izredžu zaudēšanu nav iracionālas bailes, tas ir loģiski.
Grāmatā paralēli tiek veikts salīdzinājums ar mūsdienām, piešķirot jaunu dimensiju.
Vienu zvaigzni grāmata zaudē par pārāk garo ievada daļu - manuprāt, aptuveni stundu nebūtu jāpavada lasot, par ko būs un par ko nebūs šī grāmata, un kas iespaidoja tās tapšanu.
January 16, 2024
If you knew the word "Luddite" before reading this book, you likely knew it as an insult. Even when the word itself is not on our lips, the ethos it embodies, breathed into us from our earliest engagements with technology, always seems to be there: that to oppose technology is to oppose the future, and prosperity; that questioning technology can only point us backward.
In Blood in the Machine, a history of the Luddite movement of the early 19th century, Brian Merchant persuasively makes the case that the movement was not so much against technology as against labor exploitation by management through the use of technology. The distinction is an important one as Merchant demonstrates through the historical story of workers rising up against rich entrepreneurs and breaking the machines that were displacing them and driving them to poverty. Merchant doesn't attempt to be objective here--his bias is definitely in favor of labor and against management as well as capitalism in general--but the book works better as a polemic than it would have as a neutral, scholarly retelling of history. Because the owners of the machines ultimately prevailed and ushered in the dehumanizing factory system of the Industrial Revolution, it makes sense that Merchant would want to redeem the Luddite movement and valorize the people who fought and died in the vain attempt to create a fairer world.
What works best about Blood in the Machine, however, is that Merchant explicitly connects the dots between the innovations of the 1800s and the technology of today, directly linking the Luddites with Amazon workers attempting to unionize, cab drivers lashing out against Uber and Lyft, and, potentially, the professional jobs that will be eliminated in the wake of artificial intelligence. Writers of history often allow the reader to make these sorts of connections on their own, and there's certainly merit in that, but Merchant's book is enhanced by the parallels he draws between 1812 and 2023. Ultimately, we are left to understand that the robots aren't coming for our jobs; exorbitantly rich capitalists interested in disruption, automation, and efficiency are, and the Luddites teach us that we don't have to passively accept the promise of being, in the words of poet Richard Brautigan, "All watched over by machines of loving grace."
October 28, 2023
(3.5)
Great subject and well-researched. I’m totally onboard with the premise and will consider myself a modern Luddite. I found myself checking out during some of the historical portions. They scanned as dull, but I think it’s more a result of average writing than the stories themselves. The content is solid, however.
Great subject and well-researched. I’m totally onboard with the premise and will consider myself a modern Luddite. I found myself checking out during some of the historical portions. They scanned as dull, but I think it’s more a result of average writing than the stories themselves. The content is solid, however.
Read
January 31, 2025Oh, so the Luddites fucking ruled.
June 24, 2024
Well, turns out I'm a luddite.
In recent years, I've gone from an embracer of modern tech to someone that's closer to just terrified. I'm sometimes using, but also sometimes half-heartedly resisting, tools like AI and smart-home personal assistants ("although not now, Siri" is my most common Siri command, said when I accidentally turn that function on).
Blood in the Machine walks us through the history of the luddite movement, or the workers' movement to resist unwanted automation. The base argument is simple enough: workers need jobs with living wages, and those are threatened by unregulated ahtomation. The book does an excellent job laying out the nuances and intricacies of that position, and grounds the reader both in Victorian society and in how it resonates with our current economy. After all, history rhymes.
The book is somewhat of a chonker and can be repetitive or dry at times, but that's also a testament to how well it's researched.
As a side note: I never realized how involved Mary and Percy Shelley, along with Lord Byron, were in these types of social issues. I also think reading this book prior to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell would have been fun (was the fictional Byron there written with luddite undertones that I wasn't attuned to?), but oh well.
Revommended if you're interested in labor rights, Victorian society and how it influenced our modern one (the Victorian to modern day split is about 90/10), and don't mind a meandering walkthrough of the subject. 3.25 stars rounded down.
In recent years, I've gone from an embracer of modern tech to someone that's closer to just terrified. I'm sometimes using, but also sometimes half-heartedly resisting, tools like AI and smart-home personal assistants ("although not now, Siri" is my most common Siri command, said when I accidentally turn that function on).
Blood in the Machine walks us through the history of the luddite movement, or the workers' movement to resist unwanted automation. The base argument is simple enough: workers need jobs with living wages, and those are threatened by unregulated ahtomation. The book does an excellent job laying out the nuances and intricacies of that position, and grounds the reader both in Victorian society and in how it resonates with our current economy. After all, history rhymes.
The book is somewhat of a chonker and can be repetitive or dry at times, but that's also a testament to how well it's researched.
As a side note: I never realized how involved Mary and Percy Shelley, along with Lord Byron, were in these types of social issues. I also think reading this book prior to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell would have been fun (was the fictional Byron there written with luddite undertones that I wasn't attuned to?), but oh well.
Revommended if you're interested in labor rights, Victorian society and how it influenced our modern one (the Victorian to modern day split is about 90/10), and don't mind a meandering walkthrough of the subject. 3.25 stars rounded down.
July 13, 2025
spectacular. actually kind of a transformative book for me ngl
“A soul is of more value than work or gold.”
“A soul is of more value than work or gold.”
October 15, 2023
Enjoyed learning about the Luddite movement in the early-1800’s. 90% of the book is focused on their story so those interested in history will likely appreciate that aspect. Merchant spends the last 10% drawing more direct connections to our current day situation as it relates to the impact of new technology.
I found the most enlightening aspect of the Luddite’s, and the point that seems to have morphed throughout history, is the fact that they were very aware of the technology. History attempts to paint them as ignorant about the value and necessity of technology, but what they really fought for was a seat at the table to help integrate tech and not simply leave workers behind. Seems we are still failing to heed that vital lesson.
I found the most enlightening aspect of the Luddite’s, and the point that seems to have morphed throughout history, is the fact that they were very aware of the technology. History attempts to paint them as ignorant about the value and necessity of technology, but what they really fought for was a seat at the table to help integrate tech and not simply leave workers behind. Seems we are still failing to heed that vital lesson.
January 8, 2025
Timely and worth the read, though I think it could’ve been ⅔ the length without losing much at all. Impressive historical depth and compelling narrative. Though I appreciate Merchant’s clear vision of linking the luddites to modern workers’ movements re: automation and the gig economy, I think he could’ve left a little more unsaid — he hammered some of those points home unnecessarily hard. I did appreciate his use of contemporary terminology to describe the workers, factory owners, technology of automation, etc. This narrative decision made it easier to draw upon those historical resonances intuitively, in ways that would’ve stood even without the concluding section detailing in depth present-day workers’ struggles.
I was surprised and delighted to just have a chance to step into the world of 1811-1819ish England. Merchant did a wonderful job weaving together a lot of historical threads (no power loom required!) (that was a bad automation joke!), linking figures and events I didn’t even realize were contemporaneous in ways that made the overall tapestry of the book that much more illuminating. On a structural level, I also appreciated Merchants inclusion of “Persons of Interests” and “The Machinery” lists at the start of the book — there were simply far too many Williams to keep straight on my own.
I was surprised and delighted to just have a chance to step into the world of 1811-1819ish England. Merchant did a wonderful job weaving together a lot of historical threads (no power loom required!) (that was a bad automation joke!), linking figures and events I didn’t even realize were contemporaneous in ways that made the overall tapestry of the book that much more illuminating. On a structural level, I also appreciated Merchants inclusion of “Persons of Interests” and “The Machinery” lists at the start of the book — there were simply far too many Williams to keep straight on my own.
March 6, 2024
4.5, rounding down.
April 8, 2024
Tracing the Techlash: A Comprehensive Look at the Roots of the Backlash Against Big Tech
"Blood in the Machine" is a well-researched and timely exploration of the growing backlash against the unrestrained power of big tech companies. Author Brian Merchant does an excellent job tracing the origins of this rebellion, delving deep into the historical, social, and economic factors that have fueled the public's increasing discontent.
One of the book's strengths is its ability to synthesize a complex web of issues - from privacy violations and monopolistic practices to the erosion of worker rights and the corrosive influence of tech on democracy. Merchant's narrative is both engaging and meticulously detailed, painting a comprehensive picture of how big tech's unchecked ambition and influence have sparked a populist uprising.
The book's primary weakness is that, at times, it can feel a bit overwhelming with the sheer amount of information presented. Merchant covers a lot of ground, and readers may occasionally find themselves wishing for a more streamlined or focused approach.
However, this minor quibble does not detract from the overall quality and importance of "Blood in the Machine." Merchant's work is a crucial contribution to the ongoing conversation about the role and regulation of big tech in our society. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex forces shaping the current techlash and the potential paths forward.
Overall, "Blood in the Machine" is a well-crafted, thoroughly researched, and thought-provoking exploration of a critical issue of our time. While it may not be an easy read, it is an essential one for anyone who cares about the future of technology and its impact on our lives.
"Blood in the Machine" is a well-researched and timely exploration of the growing backlash against the unrestrained power of big tech companies. Author Brian Merchant does an excellent job tracing the origins of this rebellion, delving deep into the historical, social, and economic factors that have fueled the public's increasing discontent.
One of the book's strengths is its ability to synthesize a complex web of issues - from privacy violations and monopolistic practices to the erosion of worker rights and the corrosive influence of tech on democracy. Merchant's narrative is both engaging and meticulously detailed, painting a comprehensive picture of how big tech's unchecked ambition and influence have sparked a populist uprising.
The book's primary weakness is that, at times, it can feel a bit overwhelming with the sheer amount of information presented. Merchant covers a lot of ground, and readers may occasionally find themselves wishing for a more streamlined or focused approach.
However, this minor quibble does not detract from the overall quality and importance of "Blood in the Machine." Merchant's work is a crucial contribution to the ongoing conversation about the role and regulation of big tech in our society. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex forces shaping the current techlash and the potential paths forward.
Overall, "Blood in the Machine" is a well-crafted, thoroughly researched, and thought-provoking exploration of a critical issue of our time. While it may not be an easy read, it is an essential one for anyone who cares about the future of technology and its impact on our lives.
March 17, 2025
Very engaging and enlightening. The parallels drawn between the Luddites and current day worker exploitation are edifying and difficult to discount.
June 28, 2025
"If a person must work to survive, and their job becomes automated, you would have to be either deluded or willfully disingenuous to be surprised when they fight to keep it."
December 16, 2023
An interesting book that shows, History does repeat itself.
Case in point the Luddites, a group of people in the early 19th century that saw their jobs taken away from them by 'Big Tech' and revolted to take back the simple cottage industry jobs they had in homes and small businesses in the UK, from what would become the early signs of the Industrial Revolution.
Using documents of the time this book shows how large mill towns developed and took over the countryside, which brought about child labor, adults working long hours day and night, not to mention dangerous working habits all backed by the British Parliament, which finally used the military to break the revolt (at the time of the Napoloenic Wars).
The last part of the book brings us to 2023. with Amazon, Lyft, and Uber, (don't forget AI) breaking all the rules damaging the taxi drivers, Mom and Pop stores and line workers all over the USA, UK and the Industrial world. Creating the same situations the Mill owners did to the clothing industry in 1810-1813.
If you are interested in history and economics this is a very interesting book to read.
Highly recommended
Case in point the Luddites, a group of people in the early 19th century that saw their jobs taken away from them by 'Big Tech' and revolted to take back the simple cottage industry jobs they had in homes and small businesses in the UK, from what would become the early signs of the Industrial Revolution.
Using documents of the time this book shows how large mill towns developed and took over the countryside, which brought about child labor, adults working long hours day and night, not to mention dangerous working habits all backed by the British Parliament, which finally used the military to break the revolt (at the time of the Napoloenic Wars).
The last part of the book brings us to 2023. with Amazon, Lyft, and Uber, (don't forget AI) breaking all the rules damaging the taxi drivers, Mom and Pop stores and line workers all over the USA, UK and the Industrial world. Creating the same situations the Mill owners did to the clothing industry in 1810-1813.
If you are interested in history and economics this is a very interesting book to read.
Highly recommended
February 7, 2025
Brian Merchant’s somewhat polemic but excellently researched Blood in the Machine revisits the Luddites, seeking to correct their oft misunderstood role in history. As he explains, the Luddites were not revolting against the machines, but rather the change in the patterns of work and dynamics that the machines brought about. Drawing parallels to gig workers for apps like Uber and DoorDash, Merchant contends these new platforms disrupt established job norms and undermine worker protections.
Unfortunately, as other reviewers have pointed out, the book spends maybe 80% of its time going over the history of the 19th century British textile industry, and not enough time discussing the "Rebellion Against Big Tech" promise on the cover. Obviously, this is more of a reflection of my expectations rather than the author's execution, but you should be aware of it. When he finally gets to it, it turns into a rather shallow examination of the dynamics at play. At one point, he seems to complain that Etsy has the audacity to charge a fee for each sale on its platform, as if setting up a two-sided marketplace with all of the supporting tech, marketing, and bootstrapping should be provided as a right.
So, yes, this is the main problem I have with the book. Don't burn me at the stake for it, but there’s another side to this story, and one that Merchant very conveniently sidesteps. Don't gig apps exist and are wildly popular because they solve genuine problems, but more importantly, because there was a latent demand for better solutions? Don't people benefit from the convenience of door-to-door rides, rapid deliveries, better service, and in the case of the workers themselves, the flexibility of the gig model? When was the last time you called for an actual taxi to come pick you up? Moreover, as far as I know, gig work is a straightforward contract between two willing parties—driver and platform—so it’s tough to label it outright exploitation as Merchant more or less suggests.
He also recounts the plight of taxi drivers who spent fortunes on medallions, only to see their value evaporate when rideshare apps hit the scene. True, that’s heartbreaking for those who invested heavily, but wasn’t the actual problem due to artificial scarcity created by local taxi commissions, and their lobbying? Those limits inflated medallion prices in the first place. When Uber bypassed the old rules, it exposed the worthlessness of these regulatory frameworks and of a business model that would make any mafia don hard.
In the end, Merchant’s book offers a strong reminder that rapid technological change can indeed leave workers in precarious positions. However, it also begs the question of whether our real issue is the technology itself or outdated regulations that fail to adapt. Blood in the Machine provides a solid spark for discussing how we might balance genuine innovation with fair treatment of the workforce—and that conversation is well worth having.
Unfortunately, as other reviewers have pointed out, the book spends maybe 80% of its time going over the history of the 19th century British textile industry, and not enough time discussing the "Rebellion Against Big Tech" promise on the cover. Obviously, this is more of a reflection of my expectations rather than the author's execution, but you should be aware of it. When he finally gets to it, it turns into a rather shallow examination of the dynamics at play. At one point, he seems to complain that Etsy has the audacity to charge a fee for each sale on its platform, as if setting up a two-sided marketplace with all of the supporting tech, marketing, and bootstrapping should be provided as a right.
So, yes, this is the main problem I have with the book. Don't burn me at the stake for it, but there’s another side to this story, and one that Merchant very conveniently sidesteps. Don't gig apps exist and are wildly popular because they solve genuine problems, but more importantly, because there was a latent demand for better solutions? Don't people benefit from the convenience of door-to-door rides, rapid deliveries, better service, and in the case of the workers themselves, the flexibility of the gig model? When was the last time you called for an actual taxi to come pick you up? Moreover, as far as I know, gig work is a straightforward contract between two willing parties—driver and platform—so it’s tough to label it outright exploitation as Merchant more or less suggests.
He also recounts the plight of taxi drivers who spent fortunes on medallions, only to see their value evaporate when rideshare apps hit the scene. True, that’s heartbreaking for those who invested heavily, but wasn’t the actual problem due to artificial scarcity created by local taxi commissions, and their lobbying? Those limits inflated medallion prices in the first place. When Uber bypassed the old rules, it exposed the worthlessness of these regulatory frameworks and of a business model that would make any mafia don hard.
In the end, Merchant’s book offers a strong reminder that rapid technological change can indeed leave workers in precarious positions. However, it also begs the question of whether our real issue is the technology itself or outdated regulations that fail to adapt. Blood in the Machine provides a solid spark for discussing how we might balance genuine innovation with fair treatment of the workforce—and that conversation is well worth having.
December 24, 2023
Rigorous and very readable, this one had me pausing throughout to share details with friends about this fascinating and (I think) widely misunderstood slice of history.
I will confess: my understanding in particular was way off, and I think I'm a pretty sympathetic reader. I was surprised and impressed throughout by facts and big picture throughlines that the author managed to pull together.
All in all, a great backgrounder on an influential and underappreciated historical movement, and equally great demonstration of contemporary parallels.
I will confess: my understanding in particular was way off, and I think I'm a pretty sympathetic reader. I was surprised and impressed throughout by facts and big picture throughlines that the author managed to pull together.
All in all, a great backgrounder on an influential and underappreciated historical movement, and equally great demonstration of contemporary parallels.
May 20, 2024
I took my time getting there, but it’s a lovely book. The beginning overflows with names and background, and I felt that Merchant had tapped a vein of information *so* rich that excluding any of it felt criminal. I get that. I breezed past it and I’m very glad I did.
Standout, quality writing. Phenomenal depth into the archive, *especially* for a work intended for the mainstream (I won’t call it a non-academic work). The analysis pulling from contemporary scholars and labor organizers is perfect, though the writing style changes a bit with it, and I was a little sad to see that change.
Fearless thesis. I happily came away from it converted to the idea that it is okay to consider job elimination as an evil. Supported fantastically.
And Merchant dutifully included notes (which is where you’ll learn more about his actual visits to the archives, and I always like to read about archives!), a selective bibliography, and very sweetly calls out specific scholars and academics and specialists in the dedications. I hope readers embark on a trip through the bibliography and the other works of quoted scholars. I read some interviews with Benanav, for instance, and I’m much better for it.
Standout, quality writing. Phenomenal depth into the archive, *especially* for a work intended for the mainstream (I won’t call it a non-academic work). The analysis pulling from contemporary scholars and labor organizers is perfect, though the writing style changes a bit with it, and I was a little sad to see that change.
Fearless thesis. I happily came away from it converted to the idea that it is okay to consider job elimination as an evil. Supported fantastically.
And Merchant dutifully included notes (which is where you’ll learn more about his actual visits to the archives, and I always like to read about archives!), a selective bibliography, and very sweetly calls out specific scholars and academics and specialists in the dedications. I hope readers embark on a trip through the bibliography and the other works of quoted scholars. I read some interviews with Benanav, for instance, and I’m much better for it.
January 25, 2025
This book was mainly about the Luddites and how they were mainly a workers reform group. They were marginalized by the fast automation of the textile industry, but more importantly, by the abuse of the factory system. It used to be a fairly chill industry where you worked with family or friends to produce textiles, and where you spent ~7 years apprenticing. When the factories came people were forced to work far more hours in far worse conditions for less pay. And if you didn't go to the factory, then you may not be able to find work at all, and then just starved. Many of the factories used forced child labor or effectively slaves, and had an atrocious injury rate. They tried to fix it through legal and political means, but failed, so turned to violence against the machines that were replacing them, and then eventually to the entrepreneurs that were treating them like slaves. That led to the entrepreneurs and government of the day becoming even more brutal. Eventually there were worker protections laws put in place, but that was decades later. We're now in a similar situation where people are losing their jobs to automation, or are working for abusive companies, Uber and Amazon being the canonical examples. Unrest is building. Hopefully the various governments side with the population, raising taxes on the wealthy and redistribute it instead of crushing the poor. Unfortunately, history is likely to repeat itself, with things getting worse before they get better.
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