Meanwhile in Europe

This episode examines how the Atlantic slave trade became democratized across 17th- century Europe, focusing on the Dutch Republic, France, and Britain. It details the evolution from royal monopolies to common investment, revealing how ordinary citizens – clerks, shopkeepers, artisans, and widows – purchased shares in slave trading companies.

The episode explores Amsterdam’s financial innovations, Nantes’ merchant dynasties, and Liverpool’s dominance through supporting industries in Birmingham and Manchester. It highlights the economic infrastructure, institutional wealth, and Age of Enlightenment contradictions that enabled mass participation in the trade across all levels of European society.