Do colonialism and slavery belong to the past?

Ancient Civilizations would not be as revered today without the help of the people who built them. As the the population in the civilization increased, control was inevitable because it was a political and economic solution to growing problems in resources. People were engaged in subsistence farming- What you harvest or care is what you eat. However as the population rises, lands were becoming scarce and insufficient to cover other new families. Lands had been divided into smaller parcels to the sons until the next generation and the next until there is no room for more. With smaller parcels to harvest and bigger families to feed, some farmers abandon their subsistence farming as it wasn't sufficient and efficient (more costs- time and effort than enough outputs to feed) anymore. Instead, they started to trade other things of their production for produce from other farmers who had bigger lands.

This is where trade began. Farmers who were not efficient enough to produce their own food ventured in other activities instead that may produce something more efficiently which will be beneficial to the harvest of their trading partner (the efficient farmer). At this time, a political system has already been present however not as influential. Because of many wars from different nearby tribes and other conflicts within the civilization regarding land disputes, the total output of the civilization was not sufficient for the whole population. With the addition of other natural causes such as river flooding and lowering fertility of the land, resources were becoming scarce. A central intervention in the economics process had to be done to improve the efficiency of the system. Economic activities were centralized and monitored by the monarchs. Because of economies of scale, the civilization gained surplus in production. The profits were used to finance structural projects.

With more political and military pressure pressing, the rush for the completion of the projects was prioritized. The gains of the total output of the civilization has been reaped by the governing monarchs. The people were worse off when they were forced to work more than they were paid and they had no choice. The people closest to the monarchs were entitled to own parts of land to ensure their allegiance. But the common people were left to do the dirty work. The common people had no choice but to work for their security but in turn their dignity suffered. The rulers become richer and more militarily competent while its people suffer in return.

Since human culture was still in its early stages, the human race was still new to diversity. People thought that their race or their kingdom was better than the others. Their loyalty to their kingdom was so immense because their security depends on it. This was why there was the feeling of superiority towards other kingdoms which was why many ruling powers took their conquered lands and treated them as prized assets. Captured civilians were treated as slaves, taking resources such as labor for free. This was why many ancient civilizations engaged in military exploits for economic reasons above all (military power, dominance) because they were able to capture resources and sometimes monopolize them with a gain exponentially higher than the costs of warfare.

After the reign of ancient civilizations, the top religions were spreading and growing even further. In the Catholic world during the middle ages, the Church was able to exploit the common people by teaching the perception of suffering on earth as a testament of faith. The more pain and suffering we endure, the more likely the gates of heaven will open for us. The Church needed the monarchs to ensure the spread of Christianity among its people. It was a win-win situation for both sides since the monarchs can use religion for slavery through the feudal system. The common people were powerless as they accepted their fate on earth and that is to suffer, many of which were happy to work for the sake of salvation.

Christian and Muslim kingdom had their own military exploits in this period. Using religion as their banner, they were able to conquer and colonize lands for their own economic benefit. Before, there were tensions among kingdoms, but when the renaissance movement emerged, many states were formed which structured people's understanding of nationality. The middle class such as the merchants emerged upon more access in trading with the east. More technology, scientific knowledge and philosophy were introduced. This empowered some but not all the common people. People began to question old tradition and authority. In the age of enlightenment, many people challenged the Church by testing their radical theories about the world. The Church's power over the state has become limited but still very influential. Newly formed nations were pitting against each other in terms of power and wealth. This motivated the obsession to explore the unknown to find easier roots to the east for faster trade.

The conquistadors discovered that the people in the new world are "savages" therefore not deserving fair treatment in trading. They realized that they can get the most of the voyage by colonizing instead of trading with them as if they were "rational". They had the technology and military tools to overpower the natives and take advantage of the resources. Since the common people Europe became aware of their rights and the abuses of the monarchs and the church that many revolutions and reformations occurred. This encouraged the transfer of most of the labor to the colonies, which can be easier to control with poorly managed conditions.

Europe was in the race to expand by getting as much resources to build a stronger military force. Spices and gold were the most sought after in colonies. Because the gap of cultures and development between the colonized and the colonizers was wide, the colonizers either regarded the colonized as irrational animals or evil people who need to suffer more for the sake of their salvation. The colonized were abused with poor working conditions, more labor hours, heavy taxation and low pay. This maximized the economies of scale with more labor, vast lands and resources to exploit.

When the use of coal and steam was introduced to power machines, labor productivity significantly increased that raised production levels to a new high. Because of higher productivity, efficiency and quantity supplied, more products can be available to consumers with a cheaper price. Because of higher returns, many farmers in European countries were encouraged to abandon their farming lands and instead seek employment in newly established factories. This pressured the colonized to increase their production in agriculture and mining for the raw materials of the rapidly growing industries. Many European countries were thriving in the global economy that their production exceeds the consumption of their goods. So not only that the colonized were the hard low productivity labor, the colonized were also used as a market place to sell production surplus.

Many households in Europe were getting richer that they had the demand to get labor from colonized countries to serve for them as slaves. In addition, the population growth slowed down because of diseases and wars. Emerging economies such as the United States of America, did not have its own outside colony since they expanded within its continent instead. American Indians were thought more as threats that was why they preferred outside slaves, such as those from Africa. The demand for slaves in the US was high because they were more land and capital abundant. The production surplus of the US exceeded the demand that they had no choice but to find a way to colonize their own market place. They were eying China as the biggest consumer base however many other countries were after the same thing. The Americans' alternative to the issue became clear when the Filipinos sought help from the Americans for their independence from Spain. This gave the Americans an alternative to their consumer base problem. So they took advantage, betrayed and colonized the Philippines instead. Although, the Americans did not prioritize production in the country as much as the previous colonizers did, instead of being production slaves, the country became consumption slaves.

Democracy and not religion has become the new banner of colonization. Democracy empowers the common people; therefore, more successful in economic and political terms compared to earlier colonization propaganda. This opened the doors to a freer market and encouraged labor rights awareness. However, the motives of capitalism remain questionable to other societies.

Slavery has always been the norm in human history. We all have our own needs and wants and we use them to manipulate one another. Slavery as a norm is a thing of the past; however, it still exists in other forms. Some say that neocolonialism is the new driver for slavery. However, some argue that what matters is job opportunities for the masses when a country solely cannot provide for the population. This also can present positive spill over effects to industries and the economy as a whole. The training, knowledge, technology and expertise gained from foreign companies can influence the region; thus, paving the way for technological and knowledge advancement. People fear that the very existence of the dependency of an economy for labor and consumption is a slavery trap. Some countries such as the Philippines still depend on other economies for job opportunities especially in the health sector. But it all comes down to the economy's ability to shift the dependency to a long term benefit by translating gains to infrastructure and institutional support to create a more independent economy in the future.