Williams’s thesis and the Old Colonial System: notes on a classical debate

Abstract

This article examines the influence of Williams’ thesis on the classic book by Fernando Novais, Portugal e Brasil na crise do Antigo Sistema Colonial. More closely, the paper analyzes the main arguments of the work of Eric Williams (Capitalism and Slavery) in the context of the historiography on the subject, and correlates these arguments with the major concepts of Fernando Novais’ study. In general, the most relevant point of Williams’ thesis is to emphasize the contribution of the British West Indies both for the enrichment of England and for financing the industrial revolution. In this sense, Williams has brought out the debate on the importance of the slave trade and of slavery in this process. Inserted in the triangular trade England-Africa-Caribbean, the slave system is reputed to have contributed directly to the accumulation of wealth in the mother country. When the system became a problem for the natural course of capitalism, the abolitionist discussions were initiated. The article analyzes this debate and the influence of Capitalism and Slavery in Fernando Novais’ book, and it concludes that at the level of Brazilian historiography, despite recent advances, much remains to be said about this field of study.