Rosenbaum Chapter 6

In Seymour Drescher's essay entitled, "The Atlantic Slave Trade and the Holocaust: A Comparative Analysis," Drescher compares and contrasts two of the largest events in history, Atlantic slave trade and the Holocaust to show that each event was unique. One example of how the two events differed was the motives and time frame behind each of the events. The Atlantic slave trade was "long-term and incremental,"(p.105), involved many nations, and was based on economic and political motives in which the slaves were only valuable if alive. The Holocaust occurred over a short period of years, only occurred on one continent, and though the motives were also politically based, Jews were only valuable if dead.
Drescher also touches on the transportation of both groups, again with the transporting of slaves being over a longer period of time than the transport of the Jews, however both inhumane. Once transport was complete, Drescher believes that the slaves were in a much better situation than that of the Jews. Both groups would be forced into labor.
However, unlike the Holocaust, the Atlantic slave trade was not racially motivated. According to Drescher, the only people that were not allowed to be enslaved were of European descent. The Holocaust, was racially based and including the capture, forced labor, and death of those of Jewish descent.