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The introduction of the flying shuttle (1733), the spinning jenny (1764) and the power loom (1786) meant that the work could now be done by unskilled people – or even children. The skilled and experienced cotton workers found that, if they had work at all, their wages were driven down so low that their families starved. The mechanisation of production combined with slumps in trade and rises in food prices to leave many families destitute.
Workers started to organise themselves into groups that would develop, eventually, into trade unions. There were also many demonstrations, and when the crowds grew frustrated, these often turned into riots. Some workers were starting to demand radical changes that would protect them from this economic roller coaster.
At the same time, radical organisations were springing up all over Britain, inspired by the French Revolution of 1789, which had overthrown the hereditary rule of the aristocracy and promised liberty, equality and fraternity for everyone.