Slavery (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what slavery is, its history and other characteristics. Also, when it was abolished and the agreements that prohibit it.

What is slavery?

slavery It is a legal situation in which an individual (the slave) becomes the property of another (the master), and loses all kinds of rights over himself, and can be treated as an object: he can sell it, buy it, exchange it, donate it, etc.

These types of situations took place at numerous times in human history. In fact, they were the basis of the slave production model (or slavery) that prevailed in Antiquity.

The word slave comes from Latin slave and this one from Byzantine Greek sklavós. Both terms derive from the way the people of northeastern Europe called themselves, that is, the Slavic peoples.

Although the practice of slavery dates back to ancient times, this word was created during the Middle Ages, since feudalism converted the ancients served Romans (slaves used in the cultivation of the land) into serfs, that is, free peasants subject to the will and protection of the feudal lords.

Slavery is considered today an illegal and unworthy act, which violates the fundamental and inalienable rights of human beings, and therefore It is considered a crime against humanity. Although it has not yet completely ceased to exist, it is formally persecuted and those responsible for enslaving another, which always happens by force, are considered criminals.

These provisions on slavery appear in the 1926 Slavery Convention, signed in Geneva, Switzerland, by the so-called League of Nations, predecessor of the United Nations (UN).

History of slavery

slavery history roman empire — Slavery was common in Greco-Roman antiquity.

In primitive society, the slave was non-existent, since there were no productive processes. However, with the agricultural revolution, the cultivation of the land allowed us to obtain enough food to free a part of the population from work, who could then devote themselves to other more pleasant or intellectual activities.

Therefore, Slaves were the economic support of empires throughout ancient times.. However, each ancient civilization could think about slavery in different ways.

It was common to subject the relatives of those defeated in battle to slavery, but slavery could also be accessed as a mechanism for payment of an insurmountable debt. In other cases, traffickers captured people in remote regions to sell them as labor.

Already in the Code of Hammurabi, in Ancient Babylon (18th century BC), the laws that govern the lives of slaves are detailed. Later, during the classical Greco-Roman era, slaves were an everyday part of society.

During the Roman Empire, slaves were common, taken from regions that succumbed to the Roman legions. However, The crisis of the 3rd century led to a transformation in the slavery model allowing the emergence of a type of colonists from distant lands, that is, peasant slaves who were allowed a certain margin of autonomy and profit over what they produced.

The slaves were later freed and became the free serfs of the Middle Ages.. During that time, slaves came from Eastern Europe, and were also common in Muslim caliphates, where Christians defeated in battle were often reduced to this legal status.

Characteristics of slavery

slavery characteristics — The children of slaves were also slaves.

Slavery is both a legal and social situation, and an economic system, which is characterized by:

The existence of individuals stripped of all their rights and treated as merchandise, working as unpaid labor (that is, receiving absolutely nothing from what they produce, except what is necessary to guarantee their survival). Such individuals are the slaves.
Slaves constitute part of the patrimony of their masters, and therefore They can be sold, transferred, exchanged or physically punished. In some cases, the condition of slavery was temporary, until the amount of work had covered the payment of some debt; In others, however, it was for life, as happened to enemy civilians captured during wars.
The slaves They had value only as property or perhaps by the amount of work they could still be forced to do. Thus, a young slave was more valuable than an old one, and a healthy one than a sick one. There were slaves for all types of work, including sexual pleasures.
Commonly, the children of slaves were also slaves from birth, although this could vary depending on the model of slavery that was practiced. In any case, the trafficking and sale of slaves It was a lucrative business that lasted until the 19th century..

Abolition of slavery

slavery abolition french revolution — The first major blow against slavery was during the French Revolution.

Slavery was abolished at different times, depending on the region we consider, although The first abolitionist movements emerged in the 18th century the result of the revolutions in secular thought that had emerged from the Enlightenment and Humanism. In fact, the first major blow against slavery was the declaration of fundamental human rights during the French Revolution.

However, slavery was inherent to the European colonial model, which is why many independence wars, such as those in Latin America, were fought at the hands of former slaves, who were promised free citizenship in their host nations. The first American country to abolish slavery was Haiti, in 1803..

Continue with: Exploitation of man by man