Able Quote by Carroll Quigley
“No slave system has ever been able to continue to function on the slaves provided by its own biological reproduction because the rate of human reproduction is too slow and the expense from infant mortality and years of unproductive upkeep of the young make this prohibitively expensive. This relationship is one of the basic causes of the American Civil War, and was even more significant in destroying ancient Rome.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Origins of the Cold War by Carroll Quigley, 1966
Human reproduction is too slow and costly to sustain a slave economy, making such systems unsustainable and a root cause of major conflicts.
In simple terms: Slavery can't last because people reproduce too slowly and expensive.
Key Takeaway
Recognize demographic limits in economic planning.
Themes
economics
history
demography
conflict
labor
slavery
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
historical
economic
When to use this quote
- policy design
- historical analysis
- educational curricula
- public discourse
Key Concepts
Malthusian limits
economic sustainability
social stratification
Questions to Reflect On
- How do modern birth control and healthcare affect labor models?
- What alternatives to slavery emerged historically?
A Different Perspective
Human reproduction rates may increase with technology, altering the argument.
![“An economy built on slave labor is vulnerable in two ways. One, availability of forced labor discourages technical innovation. The very wealthy [Roman]empire experienced no industrial revolutions. Two -- even more crucial -- slaves do not reproduce their own numbers. As Rome's wars of conquest…” quote by Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c24/norman-f-cantor-15048_economics_an-economy-built-on-slave-labor-is-vulne_2164303.jpg)
