Saint-Domingue A la Veille de la Révolution Et la Question de la Représentation Coloniale aux États Généraux - Softcover

Prosper Boissonnade

 
9780243049806: Saint-Domingue A la Veille de la Révolution Et la Question de la Représentation Coloniale aux États Généraux

Synopsis

This book explores the political and economic debates that sparked controversy between French planters in Saint-Domingue and the French government prior to the French Revolution. In the decades leading to the revolution, rising tensions between planters and the French administration regarding the island's governance and economy contributed to the planters' drive to secure representation in the upcoming Estates General. The author demonstrates how the planters' resistance stemmed from economic grievances against the French commercial monopoly, which they felt exploited the colony. Furthermore, the book highlights the planters' concerns over the growing movement to abolish slavery, fearing it posed a threat to their way of life and their considerable investment in human capital. The author places these conflicts within the broader context of the Enlightenment ideas about liberty and equality that were shaping the era and discusses the complex relationship between race, class, and power in colonial societies. Ultimately, this book sheds light on the deep-seated tensions that existed within French colonial society on the eve of the French Revolution, and shows how these tensions influenced the course of events that would follow.

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