Slavery and the British Economy

During debates over the abolition of slavery, supporters of the system claimed that it was vital to the British economy and that abolition would be disastrous. The abolitionists argued that slavery was immoral and that the economy would prosper in its absence. Just how important was slavery to British economic success? This question continues to resonate in modern debates over the historic role of slavery’s profits in the building of country estates or the endowments of charities.
Please note, this lecture contains descriptions of violence which some viewers may find upsetting.
A lecture by Martin Daunton recorded on 7 February 2023 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/s...
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[@eikeluth319]

I'm so glad that I found your channel! Again a well done lecture by a bright mind on a topic which needs to brought to light, if there should be a fair global political and economic structure in the future. And as a cherry on top on it a possibility to improve my english. What more could I ask for? Thanks a lot!

[@victoriab8186]

I would like to have an extension to this lecture considering the further consequences and links of forced labour in Africa through imperialism and colonial economies to the 'globalised' economic practises of today

[@mhick3333]

actually ireland was the blueprint and test lab

[@user-iy9jm9tl6r]

One wonders if the best way to retain and explain statues linked to slavery is by affixing a mirror.

[@TheSpecialCostumeShop]

Can you tell us anything about those peoples that owned the ships that were used for slavery

[@0532phillipjoy]

Excellent. Shame on those who talk down this subject of history, and in doing so talk down modern day slavery and wage slavery.

[@suburbanyobbo9412]

Shame on people who talk up this history to justify their racist anti-white ideas.

[@ImAMassiveBender]

Disappointed in the anti-woke comments. I hate wokeness as much as the next person but this was a really good, balanced, factual lecture about history rather than a knee-bending self-flagellation. The reason it focused on historical slavery is because it's a history lecture, the reason it focused on Britain is because that is the topic and area of expertise

[@Carroty_Peg]

England was the only country to BAN SLAVERY . It took until 2016 for the British people to pay back the enormous debt they took on.

[@upendasana7857]

what is "wokeness"exactly ? also "anti woke" comments? you mean ill informed and lacking in any real historical knowledge ? is that "anti woke" or just plain ignorance ?

[@riaagarwal6840]

Anything can be justified if your "creator" says it 😂😂😂 ofcourse backed by power. 😅😅

[@knockshinnoch1950]

The enslavement of the African people by Western Empires ranks as the worst of all crimes against humanity due to the enormous scale and centuries long practise. I cannot watch lectures like this without finding myself slowly boiling with rage as the story is laid bare in such horrendous detail.

[@Lydiard91]

Yawn

[@outlawJosieFox]

​@Play Google Because the Western empires gave them an economic incentive to do exactly that .

[@Carroty_Peg]

By their own kind? by people from other continents? it's still happening now

[@gregoryjames165]

African people practiced slavery themselves! A let's not forget the North Africans captured over 15 million White European slaves many of which were sold to the Ottoman Empire over a 700 year period. The worst thing is, the British Empire outlawed slavery in 1830. Once the British left, the Africans brought it back. There are currently an estimated 40 million slaves in Africa today.

[@Travis_22]

Cope

[@Tukulti-Ninurta]

I don’t understand why “removing the monopoly power of the West Indian interest” required the abolition of slavery. Surely all you had to do was remove tariffs on other sources of sugar etc?

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

You should look into it.

[@RillUK]

It would be interesting to have a similar lecture on the European slaves taken in their millions by the Moors, or perhaps the outlawing of slavery within Britain's realm, the cost of lives and loans, which we just finished paying in 2015, could be included.

[@mhick3333]

read the ottoman centuries or balkan ghosts for an intro to muslim slaughter and slavery in europe and th e slaughter it took to get them out

[@kithinjikwiriga2666]

If knows so much why not fo your own lecture?

[@kithinjikwiriga2666]

@@RillUK I will be waiting to see the specific kings the yrs when they sold their people how many and which part of jewland where Africans were kept as slaves.

[@damonkowarsky]

Those payments were made to the owners in compensation for the loss of their ‘property’, not to the enslaved people for their servitude 😮

[@RillUK]

@@damonkowarsky They'd need to see Africa about that, because that's who sold them, other Africans. Who do the Europeans go to to get reparations from, or does only Black slavery matter?

[@xhorxheetxeberria-td1hu]

It would be interesting to map how the crown profited from slavery in America, Africa and Asia. And the wealth of today is a product of those activities during 300 years. And if so what changes will be made in the present to compensate past wrongs currently.

[@jameswhyard2858]

No mention of the West Africa Squadron in the 1800s?

[@joecross7686]

Which is?

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

Because it was about slavery. It wasn’t about the abolition of the TAST.

[@M0U53B41T]

This is such an interesting and important lecture - I'd be very interested in further thoughts on reparations

[@RecoverywithMissWilliams]

😢 disgusting

[@interstellarphred]

the illustration of the ship reminds me of economy class on the airlines

[@avshalomlev9003]

נסיון

[@venkataraghotham7586]

There was no slavery in India in the Atlantic Ocean sense In fact there was debt slavery which is not chattel slavery.

[@knockshinnoch1950]

The complete lack of understanding and any depth of knowledge of the subject on display in the comments is staggering.

[@Bekseju]

You have to look at macro economics and not be clouded by focusing on the relatively few rich people who grew even richer from slavery. Money flows from the consumer, the British housewife, to the producers, those Chiefs selling the slaves in Africa and the Americas where goods were produced for sale. Some profits were repatriated but on balance Britain suffered a cash outflow. This is a basic principle of macro economics.

People don't each cash. The flow of goods is more important than the flow of cash.

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

How were those goods produced in America?

[@thomasdequincey5811]

I don't feel uncomfortable talking about slavery in the British Empire. Because...unmm...I wasn't there. In fact, up until its abolition in 1830 something (I can't remember the actual year), I take no ethical position on slavery at all as a matter of government policy. It simply was.

[@upendasana7857]

Isn't it strange that when ever anyone starts to talk about slavery and precisely talks about the historial significance it still has to todays modern global economy,everyone,(well mainly white British people)get so defensive and start talkinga bout how "its got nothing to do with me ..I wasn't there ..."blah blah blah...why the defensiveness ? what are you so worried about when people are simply talking more about hisotry and a hisotry which many are pretty ignorant to except that it happens one time many years ago. If it was a history that elevated or made you feel proud then it would probably be different and you'd think "thats what makes me rpoud to be British even though that might have had little to do with you too !! Very selective in what you want to feel proud about or what you wish to distance or deny. Why not just try learning some history

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

@@upendasana7857well said.

[@kailashpatel1706]

@@upendasana7857 Also if it makes people 'uncomfortable', why is that a bad thing..The problem in the UK is that we are on day one in terms of grasping the reality of our Imperial and Colonial past, this is changing slowly..

[@khalidalali186]

There are 50 million living slaves as of the 31st of December, 2022. Most of whom are in India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, and the Philippines. It would be interesting to discuss those. I believe the slavery of old has been covered quite throughly, and maybe cover white slavery and black slavers every once in a while. You know, for historical context and all. Slavery was after all, and continues to be, a universal institution.

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

There are also millions if slaves in Europe as well. Funny you didn’t mention that. Why do you have a problem with subject?

[@suburbanyobbo9412]

⁠@@kudjoeadkins-battle2502No the Global Slavery Index confirm that there are not millions of slaves in Europe.

[@mossychops]

Mark Serwotka and the Rwanda deal?

[@alaminmahmud1044]

Hi

[@duckweedy]

Awkright paid off the national debt

[@pauls6530]

Why are we talking about slavery 200 years ago and not the slavery that is alive today??? Is it possibly because it is where we get the nice consumer goods that we love from? Not quite comfortable talking about that, are we?

[@milkoansah-johnson8768]

You can use your platform to discuss modern day slavery. Just bear in mind that the crime of modern day slavery is not a national policy of several European countries. Yes the Arabs are maltreating Africans so you can focus on that. Having said the above, it is vital to remind ourselves of European savagery and crimes so that we recognise the support for Ukraine as a white supremacy thing.

[@pauls6530]

@@milkoansah-johnson8768 slavery in Europe was 200 years ago... Its finished. Slavery today is black on black in Africa.

[@ianbanks3016]

@@pauls6530 Then write a lecture and post it to youtube. Why wait for someone else to do it, use the platform you have.

[@mikeFolco]

What a dumb comment.

[@pauls6530]

@@ianbanks3016 Lame response and deliberatly missing the point. Its called a strawman argument.

[@Carroty_Peg]

As long as it's also being measured against every other single culture who has an economy based on slavery - now and since recorded history began.

[@lindzht]

perhaps you can write that lecture? This one is about a limited and specific area, it's not exhaustive

[@kailashpatel1706]

@@lindzht like that..

[@MultiBurger1]

The only nation that outlawed it and then fought against slavery

[@mhick3333]

yes , after american cotton cut into thier indian and egyptian sources how noble

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

Haiti ended slavery before Britain.

[@rebecca.smith.]

only country that got rid of it - others had to follow

[@808bigisland]

Swiss never enslaved. Indenturing, sharecropping yes. No slaves, Rebecca, plebs of the US province Anglia and subject to the German King Karl and breeding accessory of the hierarchy. Know thy place.

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

Haiti got rid of it first.

[@user-iy9jm9tl6r]

@@kudjoeadkins-battle2502 That's not true for two reasons, firstly nations including ironically England had abolished slavery before any Haiti was even colonized. The second reason is what made the British abolitionism different is that it didn't just apply to the British they decided to apply their view slavery was morally wrong on the world, spent huge amounts of money and where successful in at least driving it underground and making it illegal around the world, at least officially. Haiti did try to expand emancipation for its sake but it did so though the attempted conquest of Hispaniola and unfortunately as a state became mired in corruption and despotism. Haiti like the french revolution is a warning from history, just because your founding principle is morally right, doesn't me you will be.

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

@@user-iy9jm9tl6r Haiti was the First modern Nation to abolished slavery. Yes they did attempt to take over what we now call the Dominican Republic from the Spaniards. Britain thought it was morally wrong? Who told you that. I’d argue that they eventually ended the trade which they had led for about 100 years because of trade purposes. The TAST bed instability in the regions where he trade took place. A place that had countless raw materials that could be exploited by the Empire. The amount of money they paid ending the TAST pales in comparison to the amount of money they made during the trade.

[@mhick3333]

No mention of Brazil or Arabia, well I guess he is just focusing on England no mention of Ireland

[@daydays12]

He did mention Arabia. Brazil was clearly marked on the map he showed. Did you see the same lecture as I?

[@kudjoeadkins-battle2502]

It’s about the British.

[@johnmanno2052]

It's too bad lecturers don't hire voice actors to read their lectures. They're absolutely brilliant people who do amazing research, and incredible scholarship.... and it's marred by their appalling stage presence and abysmal presentation of their work!

[@whtalt92]

If they did, then they would not be lecturers. Logic flaw detected, try again.

[@johnmanno2052]

@@whtalt92 Then they could be "lecture writers". Alas, for the ambiguities inherent in common language! It belies any effort for any kind of rigorous logic. Much to the great irritation of the STEM folk