Long Term Effects of the African Slave Trade

Overview of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Political Authority in West Africa

  • Author: Warren C. Whatley, University of Michigan

  • Paper presented as part of the African Economic History Working Paper Series

  • Focus: Examination of the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on political authority in West Africa.

Key Findings

  • Increased Absolutism: The trans-Atlantic slave trade increased absolutism in pre-colonial West Africa by 17% to 35%.

  • Decreased Democracy and Liberalism: It was associated with a reduction in democracy and liberal political structures.

  • Impact on Institutions: Slavery-induced changes influenced the structures of African political institutions during colonial and post-colonial eras.

Historical Context

  • Prior scholarship (Douglas North, 1981) emphasized the role of institutions in shaping economies.

  • Weak federal authority in post-colonial Africa is characterized by unstable coalitions of patrons and clients often undermined by corruption and a lack of genuine political commitment to societal welfare.

Theoretical Framework

  • Patrimonialism: Concept used to describe systems in some post-colonial African states where power is derived more from personal networks than from formal authority.

  • Critique of traditional views: While many link these systems to colonial rule, Whatley claims origins trace back to the era of the slave trade, which modified local authority structures.

Justification of Research

  • Focus is on the consequences of the slave trade on authority structures that existed even before colonial rule began.

  • Analysis incorporates both the Transatlantic Slave Trade Database and data from the Ethnographic Atlas to examine authority structures.

Empirical Methods

  • Examination of slave export data alongside authority data leads to conclusions about the types of political systems predominating in regions affected by the slave trade.

  • Utilizes econometric methods to analyze the relationship between slave exports and authority types (absolutist vs. democratic vs. liberal).

Results of the Study

  • Impact on Authority: Increased slave exports positively correlated with the prevalence of absolutist authority structures in Africa.

  • The paper also provided evidence suggesting that the slave trade led to a decrease in democratic and liberal societal structures.

Colonial Context

  • The British colonial approach favored indirect rule, relying on existing local authority structures and reinforcing previously established absolutist customs, which persists today.

  • Post-colonial challenges: The inheritors of these colonial structures faced considerable difficulties establishing effective governance, often leading to fragmented authority and weak states.

Conclusion and Suggestions

  • Understanding the lineage of political authority in West Africa is essential to comprehending contemporary political dynamics.

  • Historical events, particularly the slave trade, created a foundation for the current political landscape, defining the relationship between traditional authority and modern political governance.

Future Work

  • The study outlines the necessity of further research in establishing causal relationships and exploring how these historical institutions can inform contemporary governance strategies.