Causes of slavery

Introduction

Slavery continued in the twentieth century, in various forms, such as labor camps in the concentration camps. Slavery still exists today, mainly in the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent and some African countries. The UN estimates that 25 million people live in conditions that are tantamount to slavery. We will study the causes of slavery

1. Definition

Slavery is the condition of an individual deprived of his liberty, who becomes the property, exploitable and negotiable as a material good, of another person. Defined as an "animated tool" by Aristotle, the slave is distinguished from the serf, the captive or the convict (neighboring conditions in the exploitation) by the absence of a proper legal personality. Rules (customs, laws ...) depending on the country and time considered, set the conditions by which one becomes a slave or ceases to be, what limitations are imposed on the master, what margins of freedom and legal protection l the slave preserves, what humanity (what soul, on the religious level) one recognizes him, etc. The enfranchisement of a slave (by his master or by the authority of a high person) makes him a freedman, who has a status close to that of the ordinary individual.

1. The causes of slavery

1- Old causes

To meet labor needs, the first US settlements resorted to a system that resembled hiring, especially for domestic chores: many Europeans, mostly English, Irish and poor Germans arrive in the original thirteen British colonies with a status of "contract workers". It is this system that settlers adopt for the first twenty slaves landed by Dutch sailors.
Slavery is developing rapidly because of the amount of work available in the colonies and to develop their culture. After decimating the entire local population, the settlers found themselves without a single solution reported in Africa.
the many crops of cotton, tea and tobacco and other new resources such as cocoa were increasing considerably, destined for trade for Europe. The triangular trade appears.

2- Modern causes

- The explosion of the population: The population explosion has flooded the labor market with millions of impoverished and vulnerable people.

 
- Globalization of the economy: The globalization of the economy in conjunction with an increasingly technological agriculture has ruined subsistence economies and dispossessed people of their land. These two factors have created absolute poverty on which slavery depends to function. To feed themselves or their families the only currency people have is their freedom.

Moreover, the logic of the modern economy, needs temporary workers, according to the needs that can fluctuate, without commitments for medical expenses, educational and for retirement.
 
- Change: In addition, change and economic upheaval in many developing countries has been accompanied by violence, corruption and social chaos. They destroyed the social organization and the traditional links of responsibility that could have protected the population. We clearly see the interaction of these different factors, especially in countries like Brazil and Thailand. In India and Pakistan new forms of hybrid bondage mixing the worst elements in feudalism and modern capitalism.

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