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In this classic analysis and refutation of Eric Williams's 1944 thesis, Seymour Drescher argues that Britain's abolition of the slave trade in 1807 resulted not from the diminishing value of slavery for Great Britain but instead from the British public's mobilization against the slave trade, which forced London to commit what Drescher terms "econocide." This action, he argues, was detrimental to Britain's economic interests at a time when British slavery was actually at the height of its potential.

Extension -- A perennial institution -- Expanding slavery -- Extension and tension -- Crisis -- Border skirmishes -- Age of the American Revolution, 1770s-1820s -- Franco-American Revolutions, 1780s-1820s -- Latin American Revolutions, 1810s-1820s -- Abolitionism without revolution: Great Britain, 1770s-1820s -- Contraction -- British emancipation -- From colonial emancipation to global abolition -- The end of slavery in Anglo-America -- Abolishing New World slavery: Latin America -- Emancipation in the Old World, 1880s-1920s -- Reversion -- Reversion in Europe -- Cycles actual and counterfactual.

After creating a complex system of slavery, in the late 18th century the British Empire became the first to divest itself of slavery. Seymour Drescher explores the history of the debate over slavery and free labor within Britain, and the contributions made by those who were instrumental in the formation of social sciences

Surveys the field of study with more than 100 concise and informative essays supported by detailed biographies and illustrations. Eminent scholars provide an overview of what we now know about slavery as an institution and way of life in cultures around the globe from ancient times to the present day. Drawing on the virtual explosion of empirical research and theoretical discussion of the subject over the past thirty years, many of the articles overturn conventional wisdom and illuminate little-known aspects of the subject, with essays on topics such as concubinage, eunuchs, occupational mobility. Edited by Seymour Drescher, Professor of History, University of Pittsburgh, and Stanley L. Engerman, Munro Professor of Economics, University of Rochester.

Annotation A thorough analysis of Tocqueville's thoughts on the lower classes of society, viewing his stances on slavery, poverty, criminality, and working class conditions, and their role in the transition to a modern, democratic, and industrial society

This article explores aspects of the abolitionist movements in comparative imperial and national perspective. Contrasting the transoceanic roads to emancipation in the pioneering British and French empires, it then examines subsequent cases in Russia, the United States of America and Brazil. It attempts to assess the relative impact of civil and/or military mobilizations—or their absence—in relation to the public sphere and legislative actors. It speculates on the impact of different forms and outcomes on the legacies of abolitions.

Tradução: Jaime Rodrigues. Publicado originalmente na Hispanic American Historical Review, 68(3): 429-460, 1988, com o título "Brazilian Abolition in Comparative Perspective".