The idea that sugar, plantations, slavery, and capitalism were all present at the birth of the Atlantic world has long dominated scholarly thinking. In nine original essays by a multinational group of top scholars, Tropical Babylons re-evaluates this so-called “sugar revolution.” The most comprehensive comparative study to date of early Atlantic sugar economies, this collection presents a revisionist examination of the origins of society and economy in the Atlantic world. Focusing on areas colonized by Spain and Portugal (before the emergence of the Caribbean sugar colonies of England, France, and Holland), these essays show that despite reliance on common knowledge and technology, there were considerable variations in the way sugar was produced. With studies of Iberia, Madeira and the Canary Islands, Hispaniola, Cuba, Brazil, and Barbados, this volume demonstrates the similarities and differences between the plantation colonies, questions the very idea of a sugar revolution, and shows how the specific conditions in each colony influenced the way sugar was produced and the impact of that crop on the formation of “tropical Babylons” — multiracial societies of great oppression. Contributors: Alejandro de la Fuente, University of Pittsburgh Herbert Klein, Columbia University John J. McCusker, Trinity University Russell R. Menard, University of Minnesota William D. Phillips Jr., University of Minnesota Genaro Rodríguez Morel, Seville, Spain Stuart B. Schwartz, Yale University Eddy Stols, Leuven University, Belgium Alberto Vieira, Centro de Estudos Atlanticos, Madeira “The handiest volume on the subject of sugar. . . . Well produced. . . . Clear, readable prose.” — Businesss History Review “Breathtaking. . . . Offer[s] stimulating insights. . . . Might produce some stimulating comparative discussion.” — CHOICE “Each chapter is well-written, well-argued, and freighted with authority. . . . The contributors have certainly raised discussion to a new plateau. For anyone interested in the historical geography of the sugar industry and in the early Atlantic economy this book is, to use a colloquialism, a 'must read.'” — Agricultural History “[This book is] the basic source for the early Atlantic sugar sector.” — EH.NET “[An] excellent collection of essays. . . . An excellent summary for the specialist and a valuable introduction for the non-specialist.” — H-Atlantic “ Tropical Babylons makes a substantial overall contribution to several connected fields. It provides considerably new information about the rise of the Atlantic sugar complex with interesting details on the relationship between slavery and sugar making as well as the complex nature of the early sugar trade in Europe.” — Franklin W. Knight, The Johns Hopkins University “ Tropical Babylons greatly enhances our understanding of two previously unexplored centuries in the history of sugar, a vital link of colonial capitalism in the Atlantic world during the early modern era.” — Francisco Scarano, University of Wisconsin–Madison “ Tropical Babylons greatly enhances our understanding of two previously unexplored centuries in the history of sugar, a vital link of colonial capitalism in the Atlantic world during the early modern era.” — Francisco Scarano, University of Wisconsin–Madison A revisionist look at sugar, slavery, and plantation economies This collection of original essays provides a comparative study of early Caribbean sugar economies as well as a revisionist examination of the origins of society and economy in the Atlantic world. Schwartz also examines the role of plantation colonies in the formation of multiracial, oppressive societies. This collection of original essays provides a comparative study of early Caribbean sugar economies as well as a revisionist examination of the origins of society and economy in the Atlantic world. Schwartz also examines the role of plantation colonies in the formation of multiracial, oppressive societies. Stuart B. Schwartz is George Burton Adams Professor of History and Master of Ezra Stiles College at Yale University. He is author or editor of several books, including Slaves, Peasants, and Rebels: Reconsidering Brazilian Slavery. Tropical Babylons Sugar and the Making of the Atlantic World, 1450-1680 The University of North Carolina Press Copyright © 2004 The University of North Carolina Press All right reserved. ISBN: 0-8078-5538-3 Contents AcknowledgmentsNote on Weights and Currencies1 Introduction Stuart B. Schwartz2 Sugar in Iberia William D. Phillips Jr.3 Sugar Islands: The Sugar Economy of Madeira and the Canaries, 1450-1650 Alberto Vieira4 The Sugar Economy of Espaola in the Sixteenth Century Genaro Rodrguez Morel5 Sugar and Slavery in Early Colonial Cuba Alejandro de la Fuente6 A Commonwealth within Itself: The Early Brazilian Sugar Industry, 1550-1670 Stuart B. Schwartz7 The Atlantic Slave Trade to 1650 Herbert Klein8 The Expansion of the Sugar Market in Wester