The Gun-Slave Cycle in the 18th century British slave trade in Africa

Warren Whatley

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: The trans-Atlantic slave trade is considered by many to have been a major shock to Africa, one that transformed African economies and contributed to long-term poverty. In this paper I combine data from the Transatlantic Slave Trade Database and the Anglo-African Trade Statistics to document some of the ways West Africans responded to the demand and technology shocks of the slave trade – how they responded to the growing international demand for African people as slaves and the introduction of the new gunpowder technology called the flintlock. I find that the early interaction of these two shocks – the gun-slave cycle – initiated a vicious cycle, a “raid or be raided” arms race. In the process, large numbers of Africans were victimized and sold into the Middle Passage.

Keywords: Africa; Britain; Slave Trade; Firearms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N33 N37 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-12
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/44492/1/MPRA_paper_44492.pdf original version (application/pdf)
https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/58741/1/MPRA_paper_58741.pdf revised version (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:44492

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