What the Industrial Revolution Tells Us about the Future of Automation
&gt;specifically the Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries – did not lead to major social upheaval or widespread suffering.<p>Industrial Revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries led to massive social upheaval. Average height of Englishman decreased before started to increase (based on military records). Workers started to organize, skulls were cracked.  People were shot in the streets. Armies were ordered to kill workers. There were bloody civil wars and revolutions.<p>Industrial revolution  was not possible without massive social change that created, land reforms,  working class, middle class and increased private consumption and accumulation of capital.  It was at times bloody, but in the Western Europe and North America continuity of government was maintained. Not so in Soviet Union or China.<p>Anti-Union violence, Union violence (union busting) communist violence, anticommunist violence was pretty intense at time even when the society as whole worked.<p>Let&#x27;s use US as an example of well managed industrialization and social upheaval with small number of casualties. We can still list numerous conflicts with  10-100 deaths:   The Molly Maguire trials (20 workers executed), Battle of Virden, 1898 Colorado labor war,Italian Hall disaster,  Ludlow massacre, Thibodaux Massacre, Pullman Strike, West Virginia Coal Wars, Rock Springs massacre, 1905 Chicago Teamsters&#x27; strike, Steel Strike of 1919, The Herrin Massacre, 1922, Battle of Blair Mountain, Hanapēpē massacre, Harlan County War, Memorial Day massacre of 1937.<p>Future of Automation will create wealth and prosperity beyond all our dreams, but it requires massive political struggle that settles issues like privacy, rent seeking, ownership of personal information.<p>Violence in the street may be positive sign that automation is finally changing our society.