I read the book "The black count" from tom Reiss and within it it is described the value of the sugar in 18 century. Rich people,mainly aristocrats they went crazy about this food that seemed to have medicinal proprieties.
The Haiti (San Domingue) was so important for the France, they preferred to loose large swaths of land in North America than to give up this island.
But how the colonial economy worked?
The central government sent troops to conquest territories in America/Indies. Then these territories were cultivated with sugar cane,coffee,tea and these goods were sold mainly to rich aristocrats from metropolis.
So the wealth of aristocrats transferred via colonies into the pockets of central government state and planter's.
Why then transfer was not done directly from aristocrats to the states?
The aristocrats had a lot of privileges and of the most important was the fact that they didn't pay taxes.
The king needed money for army, for fending off enemies abroad and rebels within, but he could not simply tax the most wealthy subjects because of fear of rebellions.(Charles I of England loosed his head because of this) France and Great Britain had enough rebellions against the central monarchy to remember the king to be cautious.
So the way to tax the aristocrats was to sell them luxury goods. This is clear in France were state's manufactures were created just for this: silk manufactures,porcelain manufactures,chocolatiers etc.
The advantage of this subtle taxation system was that the tax could be extended to other countries by exporting the fashion and the goods.Till end of 19 century the Parisians tailors were famous worldwide, and first blue jeans were made by De Nimes textile
Ironically the work of the slaves taxed french aristocrats
So it is not surprising that even French revolutionary government didn't had the interest to abolish slavery.And another irony is that the cause of abolitionism had more support within the rank of hereditary aristocrats, a class based on birth inequality.
Once the state got a grip on the aristocracy and this class weakened economically, the slaves were not needed anymore and slavery was abolished.
The Haiti (San Domingue) was so important for the France, they preferred to loose large swaths of land in North America than to give up this island.
But how the colonial economy worked?
The central government sent troops to conquest territories in America/Indies. Then these territories were cultivated with sugar cane,coffee,tea and these goods were sold mainly to rich aristocrats from metropolis.
So the wealth of aristocrats transferred via colonies into the pockets of central government state and planter's.
Why then transfer was not done directly from aristocrats to the states?
The aristocrats had a lot of privileges and of the most important was the fact that they didn't pay taxes.
The king needed money for army, for fending off enemies abroad and rebels within, but he could not simply tax the most wealthy subjects because of fear of rebellions.(Charles I of England loosed his head because of this) France and Great Britain had enough rebellions against the central monarchy to remember the king to be cautious.
So the way to tax the aristocrats was to sell them luxury goods. This is clear in France were state's manufactures were created just for this: silk manufactures,porcelain manufactures,chocolatiers etc.
The advantage of this subtle taxation system was that the tax could be extended to other countries by exporting the fashion and the goods.Till end of 19 century the Parisians tailors were famous worldwide, and first blue jeans were made by De Nimes textile
Ironically the work of the slaves taxed french aristocrats
So it is not surprising that even French revolutionary government didn't had the interest to abolish slavery.And another irony is that the cause of abolitionism had more support within the rank of hereditary aristocrats, a class based on birth inequality.
Once the state got a grip on the aristocracy and this class weakened economically, the slaves were not needed anymore and slavery was abolished.
