The introduction of machine tools in certain trades gave rise to much controversy. Employers considered machine tools to be a sign of progress, not to mention a source of additional profit. The workers, however, especially the former craftsmen, feared that their trades would be destroyed by the hiring of unskilled workers, and that the risk of unemployment would be higher. This illustration of technological change in the shoemaking industry is resolutely optimistic. In 1780, the shoemaker-craftsman carried out all the stages in the production of a shoe. By 1880, however, specialized workers performed only one stage of the work. This worker's only task was to stitch the upper to the sole. Other workers carried out different stages of the work using other machine tools.
