The Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex by Philip Curtin
Introduction
In the book The Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex by Philip Curtin, the author looks into the different ways in which Europeans developed the intricate systems of plantations in different parts of the world. The systems of plantations are not and were not common in Europe but was highly practiced in other regions. Curtin looks at the different ways in which the plantation approach was developed in Europe since the crusade era to the shift in the Atlantic trade to sustain the form of agricultural production. The systems of plantations relied on the capitalistic and demand in Europe to be sustainable in other regions; thus, it was sustainable. However, the advancement of plantations came at the expense of morality as the slave trade and forceful removal from ancestral land became a norm in the American tropic in the 17th and 18th centuries. The book captures the demand in Europe and the development of slavery in the Americas in response to the plantation complex as well as factors of morality, leading to the ending of slavery in the Americas.
Summary
Phillip Curtin looks at the advancement of plantation farming as originating from the crusader’s era. Sugar plantations were the initial plant grown in a plantation in the Mediterranean based on the need for sugar, which was only seen to come from honey. The Mediterranean need for workers on the farm is expressed as starting in the 1200s and before. The aspect of slaves relied on capturing people during war who ended up serving as workers. In the trade, Africans who were sold by the North Africans were sold and became slaves in Europe. The movement of the aspect of the plantation into Americans can be traced to the Caribbean islands. The people and land availability in the Caribbean allowed the formation of capitalistic plantations to readily develop in the region. The style of plantations in the Mediterranean and Atlantic islands was different based on the number of people and the availability of different resources. However, the Caribbean deaths were more than the births; hence there was a need to constantly increase the workers in the farms.
However, the islands in the Atlantic were not effective in producing the amount of sugarcane required in Europe; thus, the need for expansion began. In the shift to the Americas, the governments in Europe were focused on nationalized regions as farming on the islands had remained international. With the expansion of the farming lands, the need for workers was also on the rise in the Americas. Thus, the African slave trade was established in the 16th centuries. Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, remained isolated from the rest of the world. Long-distance trade had existed in Africa between various communities, thus tapping into the system allowed the merchants to acquire slaves from the region. In the rise of sugar cane plantations in the Americas, the opposing ideologies of feudalism and capitalism. Although the colonies were taking shape and leadership was established, the slave communities were also uniting to form a revolution in the South and Central American states.
The revolution in various parts of the colonies in the Americas brought the slave trade to an end, and eventually the plantation form of agriculture. However, the aspect of ending slavery did not automatically lead to the end of other forms of coercion. The author illustrates that peonage, contracts, and taxes forced the members of the African communities to perform the low-wage jobs. The dates and the process of ending slavery is expressed as being on different timelines. For instance, Brazil and Cuba continued to have the slave trade after the legal ending of the slave trade in other parts of the Americas. The various nations in Europe had different political views, thus caused the process of freeing slaves to take longer, such as Spain. The decline of slaves meant increased cost of plantation farming hence reduced and eventually was replaced.
Analysis and evaluation
The book by Phillip Curtin is intriguing and educational as it offers immense data on the structure of plantation farming, both the rise and the ending. The detailed analysis of the beginning of plantation kind of farming outside the European communities was the most intriguing. The author described that, “Europe’s involvement in the plantation complex began when it encountered sugar in the eastern Mediterranean at the time of the Crusades. That encounter was, in turn, part of a larger pattern in world agricultural history” (3). The development of plantations that impacted the entire world was brought about by the first contact with sugar in the Mediterranean. The demand for the product, which was initially thought as being contained in honey alone, led to the advancement of the plantation complex across the world. The detailed information of the beginning brings into perspective the ideas of demand and supply, thus understanding the institutions of colonies and the slave trade that developed in the following centuries.
In the Rise & fall of the plantation complex, the author illustrates the politics of race that allowed the trans-Atlantic slave trade to gain momentum. The description of the politics behind the development of the slave trade was interesting to read as it offered not only information on the past but also the present aspects of racism in the world. As explained in the text, “People of African descent were nevertheless the stereotypical slaves in Western societies from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth, and this fact of history was one source of Western suppositions about alleged African racial inferiority. And Africa’s exceptional place in Western thought continued well into the twentieth century” (29). The advancement of the political and cultural believe allowed the institution of slavery to be justified to many in Europe. The increased approach to Africans being slaves, and the inferiority aspect is seen to transition into the modern world where Africans continued to be viewed as backward. The detailed description of the information in the text gives a clear understanding of the ideas of slavery and justified social clustering views in the Americas to date.
The main aim of the author is to express the rise and fall of plantations in the Americas and the Atlantic tropics. In expressing the main idea of the rise and fall, the author uses supporting evidence from the leadership structure in the European kingdoms and leadership, the industrial demands, and the role of slavery and indentured servants. The development of plantation farming was unique to Europeans as it was not practiced in the continent. Thus, Curtin looks into understanding the need for the advancement of such systems. Moreover, as the plantation was increasing in supply and offering the needed raw materials to European industries, why was it necessary to end the style of agriculture. Analysis of the main factors at play in the Americas, such as the political powers in Europe as well as the establishment of slave communities that revolted offers an in-depth understanding of why it was necessary to end the form of trade. The main thesis of the text is clearly illustrated, and the supporting evidence offered the necessary information to learn more about the agricultural rise and fall.
However, I believed that an assumption of the Europe influence on African reaction was evident in the text. The author looks into the progress and power structures in Sub-Saharan Africa through the understanding of Europe. The analysis of the African leadership is based initially on the understanding of Egypt and the Asante empire, much as the analysis of the British empire in learning about Europe. Different systems of leadership, agriculture and animal domestication seems to have existed in Central, east and Southern nations which remained untouched by the western influence. The author seems to make general assumptions and connecting different pieces of information to understand the life and wealth structure in Africa prior to and during the incoming of the white men. The assumptions offer a clear timeline, and assumptions allows the information to be organized. However, more accurate data on Africa before the slave trade could offer a detailed analysis of the community.
Conclusion
The analysis of the plantation complex through the use of political and social analysis offers a profound understanding of the system of agricultural revolution. The analysis of the style of farming and why it came to an end aid a reader in understanding the importance and factors that played a role in the end of the complex. Different aspects are at play in the rise and fall of the plantation complex, which Curtin explains. Detailed data on the institution was intriguing to read and understand. However, the advancement of the plantation presented a lot of vices in the colonies established in the Americas. The book is educative and intriguing to read as it offers detailed data on the structure of politics and society in the Atlantic islands and Americas as well as the role of Europe and Africa in enhancing the plantation complex. Despite the slight assumptions, the book offers accurate data on the period and various changes in the regional politics and social structure of the world.