The abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, A sign of civilizing aspirations?

Abstract

In 1863, the Dutch abolished slavery as one of the last Western countries. Was it part of the process which Elias decribed as the civilization process, or was the abolition of slavery the outcome of socio-economic developments which are far different from the processes which elias argued to be crucial for a civilizing society. Slavery is now seen as a uncivilized and brutal form of trade and human exploitation. It has been a cornerstone of many societies throughout history, even the dutch society. What were the processes which led to this abolition, and were it civilizing aspirations that led to the disintergration of the slave aparatus in the Netherlands? Geo-political diplomacy and economic factors stimulated the abolition. The struggle for abolition was being depicted as a struggle for decency, equal treatement and empathy. The truth is that many freed slaves did not see any improvement in there standard of living and that their societal treatement in many countries and colonies, did not improve.