Slavery and Servitude in the Western World

SLAVERY AND SERVITUDE IN THE WESTERN WORLD
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From Rebellion to Revolution: Afro-American Slave Revolts in the Making of the Modern World. By Eugene Genovese. (Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1979. Pp. xxv, 200.) Reviewed by [Your Name].
Eugene Genovese was an eminent scholar whose focus was on American slavery. In his book "From Rebellion to Revolution: Afro-American Slave Revolts in the Making of the Modern World," the author compares the slavery practiced in the Old South to that of the rest of the world during the same period. Genovese begins the book by exploring slave revolts that occurred from the early to the mid-18th century. At some point, slaves revolted from their white masters due to their increased desire to be free. Runaway slaves conducted raids on white settlements so that they could get enough resources to build their villages. Genovese's book emphasizes the theme of slavery, which will be the primary focus of this review.
Genovese starts the first chapter by defining the term slave revolt. As depicted by the author, the most compelling answer is the struggle for freedom. In particular, slave revolts were different based on geographical location. The common thing about slaves from the Old South and different parts of the world is that they wanted to have freedom, which is something they stayed for a long period seeking. Slaves who managed to take the insurrectionary road to freedom displayed extraordinary heroism despite their challenges during slavery. For instance, black slaves' revolts have historical significance and special character since they occur in a world that values capitalism as a production model. They significantly contributed to the radical and bourgeois movement for democracy, freedom, and equality.
Regionally, the slavery conditions varied significantly since they were influenced by regional and international developments and the world market exigencies. For instance, the North America English colonies led to the master-slave relationship slavery system. On the contrary, the Caribbean English Colonies generated the bourgeois slave system that was subservient to world capitalism. Genovese is descriptive and reveals how some slave revolts became powerful and influential. For instance, slaves who fled plantations joined and formed runaway maroon communities and guerrilla warfare. The maroon communities, such as in Jamaica, Surinam, Venezuela, and Mexico, became very powerful and forced the European powers to become formal peace treaties. As such, the treaties granted maroon communities autonomy and freedom in exchange for the pledge of allegiance to their colonial regime. For example, maroon communities were required to suppress slave revolts, defend public order, and return new runaways. In the late 18th century, the trans-Atlantic ...