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A review by clacksee
Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
4.25
If you’re looking for an impassioned argument, outlining all the ways in which slavery and capitalism are interlinked, this isn’t that. But it does set about forensically examining the history of the British slave trade in the Caribbean.
A few interesting talking points…
1. ‘Racism didn’t cause slavery; slavery caused racism.’ Look, I’ve no idea if it’s true, but it’s worth think about.
2. The most productive workers are happy, well-compensated, and respected. Enslaved people are none of those things.
3. Slavery was abolished in Britain because it became more inconvenient to keep it going than to outlaw it.
A few interesting talking points…
1. ‘Racism didn’t cause slavery; slavery caused racism.’ Look, I’ve no idea if it’s true, but it’s worth think about.
2. The most productive workers are happy, well-compensated, and respected. Enslaved people are none of those things.
3. Slavery was abolished in Britain because it became more inconvenient to keep it going than to outlaw it.