History (Abolition of Slavery) Covers the Following Topics

1. French Colonies and Economy

• • The importance of French colonies in the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe, San Domingo).
  • Key commodities: Tobacco, Indigo, Sugar, Coffee.
  • Economic reliance on the slave trade for the prosperity of French port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes.
  • The triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

2. The Triangular Slave Trade

• • The beginning of the triangular slave trade in the 17th century.
  • French merchants trading manufactured goods for slaves on the African coast.
  • The three-month Atlantic voyage endured by slaves.
  • The sale of slaves to plantation owners in the Caribbean.

3. Political Debates in France

• • The reluctance of the National Assembly to abolish slavery due to economic dependence.
  • Debates over whether the rights of man should extend to French colonies.
  • The Convention’s legislation in 1794 to abolish slavery.
  • The reintroduction of slavery by Napoleon in 1802.
  • Final abolition of slavery in French colonies in 1848.

4. Economic and Social Implications

• • The role of slavery in sustaining the French colonial economy.
  • Plantation owners’ interpretation of freedom, which included the right to own slaves.
  • Social hierarchies reinforced by the institution of slavery.

5. Cultural Representation and Symbolism

• • Analysis of the 1794 print depicting the emancipation of slaves (Fig. 14).
  • The tricolour banner with the slogan “The rights of man.”
  • European attitudes toward African and American Indian slaves.
  • Symbolism of objects in the print, such as European clothes being used to ‘civilize’ slaves.

6. Key Terminology

• • Definitions and contextualization of terms like “Negroes” (indigenous people of Africa south of the Sahara) and “Emancipation” (the act of freeing slaves).
  • Social implications of terminology no longer in use (e.g., “Negroes”).

7. French Revolution and Slavery

• • The contradiction between revolutionary ideals (liberty, equality) and the practice of slavery.
  • How the French Revolution’s principles influenced the abolition debate.
  • The impact of revolutionary fervor and the Jacobins on the decision to abolish slavery.

8. Role of International Events and Abolition Movements

• • Influence of the French abolitionist movement on the 1848 abolition.
  • Impact of Britain’s earlier abolition of slavery on French policy.
  • International relations shaped by France’s involvement in the slave trade.

9. Challenges to Abolition

• • Economic and political resistance to the abolition of slavery.
  • Opposition from businessmen and plantation owners.
  • Fears of economic collapse in the colonies without slave labor.

10. Post-Abolition Developments

• • The transition from slavery to wage labor in the French colonies after 1848.
  • Long-term economic effects of abolition on French colonial economies.

(Report this question)

You've reached the last question. Do you want to submit the exam or continue reviewing?