Slavery of African people in the era of colonialism was the worst and most enduring holocaust in recorded human history. It has been estimated that tens of millions died in the horrific ordeal of transportation and enslavement. The later, murderous, colonial, oppression in other countries and regions – South America, Belgian Congo, British India, to name just a few – hints at the unimaginable scale and duration of slavery’s aftermath. The degradation of slavery has no historic comparison and has never been surpassed. No other event has left such a trail of anti-African and anti-human savagery, oppression, poverty and lack of opportunity. The pervasive consequences of slavery, a few of which can be addressed by reparations, continue to this day.
Colonial slavery, colonialism and settler colonization, have been largely responsible for the wealth European and American societies enjoy today and the impoverishment of the colonies. It is easy to forget, because of the racism and racist brutality spawned by slavery and its consequences, that slavery was essentially a system of economic exploitation. As soon as its rate of profit declined, as Eric Williams explained, its demise became inevitable, with the noble efforts of the anti-slavery movement. The perpetuation of colonialism and after its end, the continuation of various forms of oppression, including the suppression of resisting voices, have all led to the state of poverty in the world today, notwithstanding the slow progress.