Explain: Women workers in Britain attacked the Spinning Jenny.

Model Answer & Options

Source: Textbook

Women workers in Britain attacked the Spinning Jenny out of economic desperation and fear of unemployment. Spinning had traditionally been a cottage industry dominated by women, providing a crucial source of income for many families. The introduction of the Spinning Jenny revolutionised yarn production, as a single machine could do the work of several spinners. This new technology threatened to make the hand-spinning skills of thousands of women obsolete, effectively taking away their jobs. Faced with the prospect of losing their livelihood, these women responded with anger and direct action, physically attacking the new machines which they saw as the symbol of their impending poverty.

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