James M. Blaut wrote: > > I'm inclined to think that capitalism in its first, crude stage (after > gaining power over labor in Europe and power to seize slaves in Africa and > work slaves in the colonies) could not exploit wage workers efficiently > enough so that they would be able to survive and reproduce themselves. So > the main industrial capitalist enterprises were in the colonies, exploiting > mainly slave labor. (Slaves did not reproduce themselves -- the average > life expectancy of a slavbe in 17th-century Brazil was 8 years -- and this > happened because they were worked to death: it was cheaper to do that and > then buy more slaves in their place). Has anyone here read Robin Blackburn's histories of slavery? He argues that slavery was seminal in the development of Europe. Any comments? Sam Pawlett
