The Profitable Abolition: Why Did Britain Abolish Slavery?

Did Britain really abolish slavery for moral reasons? This video reveals the complex truth behind one of history's most celebrated humanitarian victories: the abolition of slavery in Britain.

While schoolbooks celebrate William Wilberforce and Britain's moral leadership, the full story involves declining plantation profits, industrial revolution priorities, and a £20 million payout to slave owners that British taxpayers were still paying off until 2015.

Discover how the world's largest slave trader transformed into slavery's greatest opponent through a perfect storm of economic shifts, religious activism, slave rebellions, and imperial strategy. We explore five critical factors that drove slavery abolition: Britain's deep involvement in slavery, the economic transformation that made plantations obsolete, unprecedented political pressure from activists, resistance by enslaved people themselves, and Britain's reinvention of empire after abolition.

This isn't just history – it's a case study of how moral progress actually happens when economic interests and ethical concerns align. Understanding this complex past is essential as we continue to reckon with the legacies of slavery and colonialism today.

CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:00:51 - Britain's Deep Involvement
00:03:41 - The Economic Transformation
00:06:04 - Economic Anachronism
00:08:19 - The Political Pressure
00:09:43 - Free Trade Ideology
00:13:56 - Abolition Movement
00:15:37 - Religious Groups
00:16:35 - Crucial Factor
00:18:13 - The Imperial Transformation
00:20:31 - Conclusion

Join us for this eye-opening exploration of how Britain ended a system it had perfected – and rebranded its empire in the process.
#BritishHistory #Slavery #Abolition #Empire #IndustrialRevolution #SocialJustice #HistoricalTruth

[markaxworthy]

All doubtless true, but the important thing is that Britain DID abolish slavery and, not only that, it ensured others did as well.