Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade And It's Effects On West Africa

Before the coming of the Europeans, Africans had assorted lifestyles under various types of governments. Rulers and the ruled great empires like Mali and Songhai. A few states had democratic rule. Some few groups had no focal (central) government. 

However, Slavery existed in Africa long before Europeans arrived. Rulers in Mali and Songhai had a large number of slaves who work as servants, soldiers, and farm workers. Villages always attack each others to capture slaves and sell to the  Europeans. Regularly, a slave could work to procure his or her freedom. In the 1400s, however, Europeans presented a type of subjugation that crushed African life and society. In the mid 15th century, European traders started selling slaves. They struck towns to catch unwilling Africans. A few Africans caught in wars were sold to European merchants by different Africans. According 

to The Atlantic Slave Trade: Effects on Africa, Karo Kant expresses that, "10 to 12 million Africans were constrained(forced) into slavery and sent to European settlements in North and South America from 1520 to 1860". Numerous were captured but died of sickness or starvation before arriving. The Transatlantic slave exchange significantly reduced Africa's prospective  to grow economically and maintain its social and political stability.

Socially, the greatest effect the Trans-Atlantic slave exchange had on West Africa was a reduction in their population. Insights, assembled from Western Civilization: A Brief History, express that the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was in charge of the constrained (forced) movement of between 12-15 million individuals from Africa. Around 66% of the general population sold to European slave traders were men,  the majority of those enslaved West Africans were male which drove West Africa's sexual demography to become unequal. Less ladies were captured and sold in light of the fact that they were required to go up against the weight of modifying their devastated families and communities.

Europeans took the West Africans to the Americas for the cultivating of sugar and cash crops. Furthermore, what added to the population declination was the expansion in clashes among African communities. 

Africans begun to lay attacks on smaller  towns for slaves so they could catch and sell them to keep up with the European's interest for slaves.

 Henceforth, this lead to civil unrest; West Africans felt shaky and far off in their own special society because of the raiding of villages.

The West Africans were not able support their nation, politically, due to the Trans-Atlantic Trade.  Historian, Kathrin Kubetzek, says in Atlantic Slave Trade: Effects on Africa, "As African rulers organized the capture of slaves, traditions were made of ruthless and arbitrary intervention  by the intense in individuals' lives." This prompted more war and more demolition of empires and civilizations. This happened in light of the fact that opponent African rulers would contend over the control of the slave capturing and trading. Some states, like, Asante and Dahomey, became powerful and wealthy as a result. Other states were totally destroyed and their populations decimated as they were consumed by opponents.

Preferably, trading with nations usually grows a nation's economy through reciprocity. However, this was not the situation with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in West Africa. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade enormously incapacitated the economy of West Africa. 

Looking at the connection between GDP per capital today and support in the slave trade centuries, Nunn (2008) finds that the slave trade had a negative long term effects on financial execution. The primary contributing factor to a nation's economy is its working class or labour force. Africa was losing roughly 12-15 million West-Africans. Africa was losing it most significant asset. "These disturbances avoided Africans who were not included in the exchange from working together in peace and security without the risk of being hijacked and sold to the Europeans".