The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1928-01-13
ELEMENTS OF POLITICAL EDU-
CATION
CONTINUED from last week.
g. WHAT WAS THE PICTURE PRESENTED
BY SLAVEHOLDING SOCIETY?


Although slaves existed in the tribal-communal
system, slavery did not play an important role in
the economic life of this system. Slavery began
to play determining role in production only in
the slave-holding system of economy.
In this society, side by side with slavehoding
economy there existed considerable sum of small
agricultural units in which there were no slaves,
or hardly any. In the most flourishing period of
slavery peasant economy was fairly widely distri-
buted. However, the general character of the life
of that period was determined not by this portion
OF society, not by the peasantfarmers, but by the
Shareholders who were the greatest economic force
in slaveholding society.
This is to be expected if we also consider that
in the most flourishing period of slavery the num-
Der Of slaves exceeded the numbers of the free
population Thus for example in the Roman EN-
pre-, IN the most flourishing period of slavery,
there were 1914 million slaves, while the number
OF Tree citizens did not exceed CT million There
was the same preponderance of slaves over free
cltlzns In Ancient Greece at a certain period I'm
der such conditions, slaveholding economy was of
course, economically dominant, and completely sub
ordmated small peasant economy to itself
The crafts as Independent trades did not exist
IN saveholding society. Slaveholding economy
represents the most perfect type of closed-n home
economy the more so that slavery itself was the
means Oh preserving from destruction the closed
III economy OF the preceding tribal-communal
peIlou' with the difference that it did this on the
oasis OF the broadening of consumption and the de-
VeopInent OF the productive forces of that econo-
my. Inc more slaves there were in the economic
uhlt' the more extended was the economy and +be
more Varlegated were rs methods of extraction and
manufacture OF materials Such were tho ooon-
omlc systems of the Greeks Carthaginians ROM
ans and other peoples. This economic antonor,,,
0! slaveholdng society which rested on slave 1abor
prayed an important part in the economic and 90.
clai history OF slavehoding society. and esnec;av
IN the history of Ancient Rome.
Based on the labor of slaves the economv Of
the slaveholding period required constant in.
crease of slaves, and consequently, constant wars
Inc wars, strengthening slaveholding society re-
acted In the most prejudical manner on the econo-
my OF the small farmers who were the chief mill
tary force. Bearing the burden of the wars on
.ne one hand, and becoming ruined by the CONNECT
lion Oh the Dig slaveholdng units with the cbeon
laOor power (slaves) on the other hand the LITTLE
Pe"S"n' units became weakened and themselves
were forced out of their lands by the rich slave
-O-Oie' deprived OF their land, although free the
p'",.'S were deprived of any possibility of exist
80 1oi tnere were no industries, no independent
:, "UeS OUTSIDE OF the closed-in home econon1,
'nere was no entrepreneurs capital burincr 49,,
power Tor pay; the handicraft work of that no~o,,
was not performed by the free labor of artisans
ou' only oy the labor of slaves who had snac;ol;zoJ
III some branch of production. Under cnoh -,
curnStances the landless peasants were forood -
peoone either slaves or proletarians i q noorlo
having no property, and at the same time bo,,iro.
no cnance to use their labor power nrodnct;,,olI,
anywhere (outsde the closed-n slave-bold;ro. 800
omic until. HOiuiig econ
ouch structure of slavehold society contained
"lCnIn Itself the germs of its destruction. Slave
LABOR oeng the lowest in productivity, on account
Oh this could not be an endless source Of sooio1
wealth. Tor TINS wealth could grow only bv a con-
.niudiiy growing mass use of slave labor. But
V,ieie were bounds to the cumulative increase of
siaVeS' and the inordinate exploitation made their
iaOOr continually less productive The extremely
.Hsn nottahty among the slaves, their resistance
" eApioICatlon expressing itself in escapes. re-
Voi'S' etc led to the condition that social wealth
oeean TO 1an and the slaveholding system began
20 degenerate economically. Thus, slave labor
"nicn made possible the fIOurishing development
OF slavehOlding society itself served as the cause
OF the ruin of this society.
Continued next week.