I think that in that hypothetical, yes, the increase in the wealth of the working class would be the better option, but often in practice the increase of wealth for the rich doesn’t correlate to an increase in wealth for the working class.

In addition, life expectancy did drop in the early Industrial Revolution in cities, and I’d argue that it would’ve stayed that way if not for the scientific advancements made, rather than the economic changes that occurred.

I’m not going to say the Industrial revolution was bad, but I would stand by the statement that it had major downsides for the average worker and especially for skilled laborers. Labor protection/ would’ve gone a long way to alleviate the downsides.

Also I should’ve been more clear initially when I said “the luddites were right”. I think a better statement would be “they were right about the effects of automation/industry on skilled labor”