The industrial revolution was happening everywhere. in the textile-producing towns of England, workers focused on the new weaving machines as the source of their troubles. The height of Luddite activity occurred in the years 1811-1812. Groups of men, often in disguise, would arrive at a factory and make demands for higher wages and better working conditions. if these demands were not met, the group retaliated by smashing the factory machines. These groups often claimed that they were working under the command of General Ned Ludd, and thus came to be called Luddites.