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A very sad fact of humanity is that many people will ruthlessly exploit other people. Let's first define slavery as forced to work, under threat of violence, for no pay or control over your life.
The earliest civilisations all made defeated enemies into slaves. We have no written records, but studies of some hunter gather societies of the past few centuries suggest that the capture of war victims and slavery probably existed before civilisation began.

The early Greek, Roman, Chinese and Indian (etc) states all relied on slaves to support their economies. The Vikings were great slave traders, slaves were sold across Europe (The word 'Slav' comes from 'slave').

Slaves (owned by Anglo Saxons) are recorded in the Norman Doomsday book.
The Bible, Koran and Torah all mention slaves and the conditions under which they should be treated. Many Medieval European states used slaves.

The Spanish conquest of Central and South America turned most Mesoamerican peoples into slave labour, when they died in great numbers from introduced diseases the Spanish began the importation of slaves from Africa. Before that many Mesoamerican and North and South American native societies took captured people and used them as slaves.

In Africa, African tribes captured and used slaves before the Europeans and Arabs arrived. The export of slaves from Africa to Roman and Middle Eastern countries goes back Millennia. (The Romans, of course, also used conquered people from Europe as slaves.)

It can be argued that Feudalism in Medieval society was a form of slavery; or its partner in crime, indentured labour. [Indentured = repayment of debt though labour; often with interest applied that becomes impossible to repay; with labourers also forced to by food etc, at inflated prices, from their 'owners'.]

The European ending of slavery sprang from the French revolution and the ideals that ALL men (people) were equal. The French revolutionists were the first to free slaves in overseas colonies. These Enlightenment ideals influenced later Christian beliefs that emphasised that ALL men (people) were of God's creation, and shaped the abolitionist movements in Europe and America. The later Nazis and Stalinist Russia used slave labour, as did the earlier European Empires.

And, most shockingly, slavery still exists, involving many millions today. Word search 'slavery' on Amazon. There are a great many books on the subject.
Plus:

You might review the blog "War and Cultural Dysfunction: Stories About Five Generations of My Southern Family." It's a very interesting serialization of one woman's memoirs as far back as the "War Between the States." Included are stories about surprising archelogical finds as well as the culture in the South over the last several generations.



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#1 - SheffTim - "And, most shockingly, slavery still exists, involving many millions today."

And don't forget the Capitalist form of this abuse called "wage slavery", a phenomenon of the Industrial Revolution, and thereafter.

The two novels "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck and "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" by Robert Tressell describe this hardship most eloquently.

Those nations which boast that they are "free" could do well to face up to this form of slavery.

Third world sweat shops offer a choice of accepting their low wages and atrocious conditions - or starving; so wage slave could be an appropriate term there. The condition of agricultural workers prior to the Industrial Revolution was often as equally dismal as the conditions in the early Industrial towns.

However, I'm unconvinced that all labour done today, particularly in first world countries, in return for a wage is a form of slavery. I accept that however much I would like a life of leisure (and to be able to afford to follow the life style I aspire to) I am unable to do so without exchanging my skills for a salary. I actually quite like my field of work. (Thanks also to trade unions and social reformers I have a reasonable working week, paid holidays, pension rights, health and safety regulations to reduce the chances of me being harmed etc, etc.)

There are two key differences between a 'wage slave' and a slave; one lies in the word 'wage'; those that work in sweat shops at least get some remuneration and have the hope that they or their children will one day have a different life. And if the opportunity presents itself they are free to change employers.

Slaves are often treated violently in order to make them comply with their owners wishes and even killed if they refuse to yield. One key difference between those that work in appalling conditions for a wage and those that just have to work to benefit others is the degree of coercion, the enslaved person has no real alternative but to submit to the abusive relationship and no way of escaping it.

If you want to read and find out more then I suggest:

A Crime So Monstrous: Face-To-Face with Modern-Day Slavery by E. Benjamin Skinner.
Modern Slavery: The Secret World of 27 Million People by Kevin Bales et al.
Enslaved: True Stories of Modern Day Slavery by Jesse Sage et al.
Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery by Siddharth Kara.

More on the Web:

/ethics/slavery/modern/modern_1.shtml