Abstract:
It is widely believed that Europe is highly developed in all ambits of life, be it politically, militarily, economically, or socio-culturally. It is also widely held that slave trade (Atlantic slave trade mainly) was one of the most lucrative businesses of all times. During the time the trade was fashionable, Europe played a key role. Thus being a key player in the close-to-four-century trade, one might be tempted to ask: Did the trade benefit Europe? Was European economy bettered at all by the trade? Was or is there a link between European economic development and the trade? Would Europe-controlled gold mines and plantations of the New World had been a success, or flourished, without the [forceful] importation of Africans there? In a bid to objectively answer the above questions, however, data was sought or generated from the writings of both African and non-African historians.
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