IN early 19th century Britain, a group called the Luddite movement emerged to oppose the increasing use of machines in the textile industry. Led by Ned Ludd, they protested the introduction of machines, which they thought were displacing the workers and rendering them jobless.

With the Luddites' protest unheeded by the British authorities and industrial capitalists, they resorted to violence by destroying machines in order to preserve their jobs. Their penchant for anarchy made the movement notorious. Thus, until now, the term "Luddism" has become synonymous to any protest action targeted against the introduction of innovation or what is termed nowadays "disruptive technology."

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