The Luddite Revolt :: European Europe History

The Luddite RevoltEngland at the Turn of the Century At the beginning of the 1800s England was still largely an inelegant country. Frank Ongley Durvall in his text, Popular Disturbances and Public Order in Regency England, states that oer half the population was living in the country(12). In capital of the United Kingdom there were over one million dwellers. Nevertheless, this citys population comprised only one-tenth of the entire population of England. Aside from London, around cities and towns contained only several gram people, where the average business firm size was between five to six persons. The imparting of products and people around the nation was limited in part by the fact that the English population was still predominantly dispersed end-to-end the countryside and that most goods were still being made locally. However another constituent that limited transportation was its relative lack of modernization. At the turn of the hundred England had yet to establish a r ailroad system. The primary means of fare goods was either by boat using canals or by horse-drawn cart on roadways. Meanwhile, travelers depended upon either their feet or horse-drawn carriage to push them where ever they wished. As I briefly mentioned above during this period most industry was located in the country, with the majority of score taking amaze in the home work-shops of craftsmen. Any manufacturing plants that did exist at that time were peeing powered. These factories were unremarkably small and only employed a handful of workers. The major industries at the beginning of the 1800s were textiles, hosiery, lace, iron mining and manufacture, ship building, and coal mining. Yet, culture was still the number one business, with some 35 percent, or more, of the mob of the island working in it(14). In many villages craftsmen would not only work making goods but would also cultivate small private lots. From these household plots they would harvest crops for their famil ys consumption and for trade. If these craftsmen did not own their own plot they would unite others in tending to a communal field from which all members of the companionship could partake of the harvest. Because of this agriculturally powered economy most businesses remained predominantly local. Business owners were usually residents of the town where their businesses were located, so that they had a material interest in the prosperity and success of the town. This localization of business, along with industry, allowed for a harmonious connection to make between the owners and their workers.