Slavery, Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution

The role of slavery in driving Britain's economic development is often debated, but seldom given a central place.

In their remarkable new book, Maxine Berg and Pat Hudson 'follow the money' to document in revealing detail the role of slavery in the making of Britain's industrial revolution. Slavery was not just a source of wealth for a narrow circle of slave owners who built grand country houses and filled them with luxuries. The forces set in motion by the slave and plantation trades seepe...