Reviews for Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex Essays in Atlantic History

The average rating for Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex Essays in Atlantic History based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-05-20 00:00:00 Sharon Liccardo The Rise and Fall of the Plantation Complex takes the reader throughout the Atlantic World as the plantation system is built up by European powers and then is decline as new technologies and abolitionist movements turned the tide against the system. Starting with the early explorations of the Azores and the Canaries and branching out into the Caribbean this book follows the major powers of France, Spain, Great Britian and others as they built out empires in the Atlantic. As the economics of sugar grew the slave trade rose in relation to it and the need to have ae system of control that could manage the labor force with it. This combination of events led to the Plantation Complex and the brutality and racism that came along with it. This book does a nice job of capturing the political and economic realities of the complex and while not delving too deep into the social still weaves it in as the system impacts those who are involved. This book is not a single account of any one area but jumps all over the Caribbean and South/Central America. While the American South is mentioned it is not a huge focus of the book due to the nature of the slavery there as it differed from the Caribbean islands. Well written and drawing on a wide range of sources this is a great book for those interested in how the slave trade developed in the Atlantic world or just looking for a book on the economics of the Atlantic world.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-06-05 00:00:00 Todd Landess 2019 Reading Challenge - A book with a plant in the title or on the cover If one is looking for a resource for data - statistics, timelines, etc. - on the history of plantations in the Western Hemisphere, this could be a helpful document. This book is very Eurocentric. Not once are the enslaved people that were forced to be the fuel for the plantation complex being dissected in this book ever referred to as people. Their very real lived experience and the impact of their kidnapping and forced labor had on both sides of the Atlantic is minimized. The author implies that there are human tragedies in every culture and every time period, so the negative impact of the slave trade and plantation complex isn't very relevant because it's part of the human cycle. It is also heavily weighted toward approaching the complex from the colonizers historical record and European context. There are brief discussions of African empires and various ethnic communities, but it is no where as in-depth or complete. I found this book fell short and was lacking in a serious rigorous examination of a significant period of human history.