奴隷貿易廃止期のイギリス議会と西インド利害関係者

概要

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West India trade had been the most flourishing sector in British economy between the late seventeenth and the end of the eighteenth century. Under the old colonial system, the colonies were forced to trade only with the mother country but also enjoyed preferential tariffs for their products. But by the early nineteenth century, the economy of British West Indies started to decay because of the world-wide increase of sugar production and the fall of the price. From then, the British government gradually abandoned the protection to the colonies and adopted the free trade policy and even abolished the slave trade and the slavery. How did the West India interests react to the abolition? Traditionally, they were considered to resist strongly. But the only most distinguished West Indians have been researched. Much more people than ever identified had concerns in the West Indies. Many banks and merchants financed planters. Properties of many annuitants, women or orphans were invested into West India merchant houses. Such creditors had no direct relation with West Indies and some of them had strong sympathy to the abolitionism. But they also can be included in the West India interest group in the economic sense. The author tries to identify wider range of West India interests and analyze their behavior in the House of Commons. It is true some of them acted vigorously to oppose the abolition, but others tended to keep silent and even voted for the abolition.