King Sugar and Other Agricultural Monarchs

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King Sugar and Other Agricultural Monarchs
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Auguste Cochin

• The story of a grain of sugar is a whole lesson
  in political economy, in politics, and also in
  morality.

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Assignments

• 1 - How much is sugar to blame for the poverty
  of Latin America? Do you believe Galeanos
  position?
  
• Although linked with progress many of the
  agricultural and natural products of Latin
  America had directly the opposite effect.
  
• 2 - Using sugar as our example draw a comparison
  between sugar and another productcotton, rubber,
  cacao, coffee, bananas. Explain the impact of
  these products on the social classes of Latin
  America
• Who is benefiting?
• Who is being sacrificed?
• What impact have the products had on the overall
  outlook of Latin America?

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Sugar

• Prior to investment in LA sugar was precious to
  Europeans
  
• Canfields planted in Northeast Brazil, Barbados,
  Jamaica, Haiti, Santo Domingo, Guadeloupe, Cuba,
  Puerto Rico Vera Cruz,

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Devastation of Sugar

• Required and encourage slave labor force
• Felled forests
• squandered natural fertility of the soil
• Burning causes air pollution
• Spurred the growth of Dutch, English, French and
  US industry
  
• Produced the plantation

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Latifundio

• Once dependent on
• Importation of slaves
• Encomienda of indians
• Share cropping
• Low pay or no pay
• In exchange for the use of a minute piece of land

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Latifundio today

• Initial productive drive fades
• Culture of poverty
• Subsistence economy
• lethargy

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Sugar Cane Harvesting
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Brazil

• Worlds largest sugar producer until mid 17th
  Century
  
• Slaves necessary native workers killed off by
  harsh/forced labor
  
• 12 captains appointed to exploit Brazil in the
  kings service
  
• Dutch pocketed 1/3 of profits from Brazilian
  sugar
  

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Brazil (cont.)

• End of 16th century
• 120 sugar mills
• Worth 2 million
• Owners of best lands grew no food
• Food is imported
• Legacy
• Children eat dirt to gain nutrients
• Brazilian Northeast most underdeveloped area

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Marx

• You believe perhaps, gentlemen, that the
  production of coffee and sugar is the natural
  destiny of the West Indies. Two centuries ago,
  nature, which does not trouble herself about
  commerce, had planted neither sugarcane nor
  coffee trees there. 1848

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Current Sugar

• Cuba still remains dependent
• Exhausted soils
• Haitian revolution led to Cubas sugar boom