Eric Williams was Trinidad and Tobago's first Prime Minister after independence. Pretty consequential stuff. But for us, and for this week's guest Alex Renton, Eric was so much more.
Because in the 1940s, he became the first historian to forensically question the economics of slavery. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has dubbed his masterpiece, Capitalism and Slavery, "the most influential book" on the history of the subject in the 20th century. It aligns the slave economy not only with the expansion of the British Empire, but also with the Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution – and it questions the motives behind the abolitionist movement.
Heady stuff. But also great fun and we thoroughly recommend this week's listen. Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you soon!
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