Where do you think the jobs in the rust belt came from?
The same thing happened to artisan economies with factories during modernization, yet people didn't decry the loss of the local blacksmith when the rust belt took over their jobs too.
The transition from local to city to regional to global specialization is a natural effect of economies of scale. Trying to freeze economic development and preserve the status quo is like trying to push water uphill.
There was most certainly massive push back against industrialization. The Luddite movement being one obvious example.
In the US we ended up with 40 hour work weeks, and universal high school as a government response. We will need similar large measures to deal with globalization and automation this time as well.
Precisely, and as the history of automation has shown, having a social safety net to retrain and shift workers is critical.
Unfortunately the focus is on blaming immigrants and other countries, not helping the disenfranchised American workers get back on their feet. It's easier to be an angry luddite but it's also historically the wrong side to be on.
At the city and regional levels, workers could at least go where the added jobs are and compete on the same terms (regulations and cost of living). At the global level that’s rarely permitted.
The same thing happened to artisan economies with factories during modernization, yet people didn't decry the loss of the local blacksmith when the rust belt took over their jobs too.
The transition from local to city to regional to global specialization is a natural effect of economies of scale. Trying to freeze economic development and preserve the status quo is like trying to push water uphill.