below_freezing
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For those of us that are interested in the US, one of the most fascinating subjects is the American South before the Civil War. In the American South, slavery was legal, and the primary unit of slavery was the plantation. The plantation consisted of one white male owner, his assistants, wife and possibly mistresses. And of course, the rest are slaves. They also keep cattle. This was very similar to the system used in Roman times called Lantifunda, except that their slaves were of the same race and anyone could become a slave simply by falling into debt.
The plantation owner rules everything on the plantation. He is the master of all employees, his family and slaves. All the wealth produced by all other members of the plantation will be taken away in large part and given to the plantation owner. This is not to say he has absolute power over all other members of the plantation. Slaves do rebel, slaves do escape, and occasionally, slaves defeat the plantation owner in combat. Despite that, those are the exceptions and not the rule. The plantation owner owns a hunting rifle which he keeps locked in a cabinet, and is frequently used to shoot cattle or occasionally, disobedient and weak field slaves. He dares not shoot the house slaves, as some are former freemen who either have their own weapons or powerful supporters on the outside.
The plantation owner's assistants are the bookkeepers and managers of the plantation. They don't have access to guns but are often employed to beat the slaves and be overseers. They're paid handsomely for their work, but not as much as the plantation owner makes in profit.
The plantation owner's wife is never fully trusted by the plantation owner, as he suspects that she is sleeping around with not only the assistants but the house slaves as well, but nontheless she is given a handsome allowance. In her earlier days, she was a major contributor to the work of the plantation, but in recent decades, she has fallen ill. It just so coincided that when she fell ill, the plantation owner took several mistresses. Even today, the wife is insanely jealous of the mistresses, but can't speak out.
The plantation owner's mistresses are the women that he fancies and does whatever he wants with them. They live on the plantation in plain view of the wife but who is powerless to do anything about it. Ever since they came, the wife has been sick and tired.
The house slaves are the slaves who are educated enough to be the labor in the plantation's manor house. They would do work ranging from toilet scrubbing to cooking or even supervising other slaves. They are expected to serve, in order, the plantation owner, his assistants, his wife, and his mistresses. However, these are not the typical slaves who were caught by slavers or prisoners of war. They are often former free citizens who encountered a string of bad luck and fell into debt, and sold into slavery. That is why some house slaves are eloquent and strong, indeed, many times outsmarting the master. Some were even former slaveowners themselves.
The field slaves are the ones who were captured in war or caught by slavers. They are the grunt work of the farm and pick cotton, grind beans and haul dirt while living in tiny huts. This group is the largest, and some have never even seen the manor house, much less the plantation owner himself. Some don't blame the plantation owner for their ills, as they don't even know he exists. They only see his assistants and the house slaves come to supervise them, even though the assistants and house slaves are only acting on the orders of the master.
The cattle are meat to be butchered at will. Even the field slaves, who themselves are treated little better than cattle by the plantation owner, can butcher the cattle.
Most house slaves are content with remaining house slaves. They think, at least we get to live in rooms in the manor house, and do not have to do backbreaking field work. We eat the scraps from master's table, instead of being forced to eat ground beans and rice gruel in the huts. At least we get to wear suits and ties, even though we are in chains.
There are a few house slaves that want to destroy the plantation and establish a village of free farmers. They have a proven record of standing up to the plantation owner and were indeed once proud free men who became enslaved due to debt. They want to regain their freedom, and have already hidden stashes of weapons and money in the dream that one day, all slaves would rise up against the plantation owner and his family.
However, some field slaves are too used to their chains and refuse to be free, even helping the plantation owner keep the house slaves down or drag them out into the fields. Even worse, some field slaves don't even know the plantation owner exists and is responsible for their misery, and blame the assistants and house slaves!
Some slaves have escaped. They are being ruthlessly hunted down by the master. There is no escape from this plantation.
Tier 1: The plantation owner: U knowS who.
Tier 2: The plantation owner's assistants: Western Europe
Tier 3: The plantation owner's wife: Japan
Tier 4: The plantation owner's mistresses: South Korea, Gulf Arabs
Tier 5: The house slaves: China, Russia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Developed Southeast Asia
Tier 6: The field slaves: South Asia, Poor Middle Eastern Countries, Developing Southeast Asia
Tier 7: Cattle: Africa, Afghanistan
The escaped slaves being hunted down: North Korea, Iran, Cuba
The plantation owner rules everything on the plantation. He is the master of all employees, his family and slaves. All the wealth produced by all other members of the plantation will be taken away in large part and given to the plantation owner. This is not to say he has absolute power over all other members of the plantation. Slaves do rebel, slaves do escape, and occasionally, slaves defeat the plantation owner in combat. Despite that, those are the exceptions and not the rule. The plantation owner owns a hunting rifle which he keeps locked in a cabinet, and is frequently used to shoot cattle or occasionally, disobedient and weak field slaves. He dares not shoot the house slaves, as some are former freemen who either have their own weapons or powerful supporters on the outside.
The plantation owner's assistants are the bookkeepers and managers of the plantation. They don't have access to guns but are often employed to beat the slaves and be overseers. They're paid handsomely for their work, but not as much as the plantation owner makes in profit.
The plantation owner's wife is never fully trusted by the plantation owner, as he suspects that she is sleeping around with not only the assistants but the house slaves as well, but nontheless she is given a handsome allowance. In her earlier days, she was a major contributor to the work of the plantation, but in recent decades, she has fallen ill. It just so coincided that when she fell ill, the plantation owner took several mistresses. Even today, the wife is insanely jealous of the mistresses, but can't speak out.
The plantation owner's mistresses are the women that he fancies and does whatever he wants with them. They live on the plantation in plain view of the wife but who is powerless to do anything about it. Ever since they came, the wife has been sick and tired.
The house slaves are the slaves who are educated enough to be the labor in the plantation's manor house. They would do work ranging from toilet scrubbing to cooking or even supervising other slaves. They are expected to serve, in order, the plantation owner, his assistants, his wife, and his mistresses. However, these are not the typical slaves who were caught by slavers or prisoners of war. They are often former free citizens who encountered a string of bad luck and fell into debt, and sold into slavery. That is why some house slaves are eloquent and strong, indeed, many times outsmarting the master. Some were even former slaveowners themselves.
The field slaves are the ones who were captured in war or caught by slavers. They are the grunt work of the farm and pick cotton, grind beans and haul dirt while living in tiny huts. This group is the largest, and some have never even seen the manor house, much less the plantation owner himself. Some don't blame the plantation owner for their ills, as they don't even know he exists. They only see his assistants and the house slaves come to supervise them, even though the assistants and house slaves are only acting on the orders of the master.
The cattle are meat to be butchered at will. Even the field slaves, who themselves are treated little better than cattle by the plantation owner, can butcher the cattle.
Most house slaves are content with remaining house slaves. They think, at least we get to live in rooms in the manor house, and do not have to do backbreaking field work. We eat the scraps from master's table, instead of being forced to eat ground beans and rice gruel in the huts. At least we get to wear suits and ties, even though we are in chains.
There are a few house slaves that want to destroy the plantation and establish a village of free farmers. They have a proven record of standing up to the plantation owner and were indeed once proud free men who became enslaved due to debt. They want to regain their freedom, and have already hidden stashes of weapons and money in the dream that one day, all slaves would rise up against the plantation owner and his family.
However, some field slaves are too used to their chains and refuse to be free, even helping the plantation owner keep the house slaves down or drag them out into the fields. Even worse, some field slaves don't even know the plantation owner exists and is responsible for their misery, and blame the assistants and house slaves!
Some slaves have escaped. They are being ruthlessly hunted down by the master. There is no escape from this plantation.
Tier 1: The plantation owner: U knowS who.
Tier 2: The plantation owner's assistants: Western Europe
Tier 3: The plantation owner's wife: Japan
Tier 4: The plantation owner's mistresses: South Korea, Gulf Arabs
Tier 5: The house slaves: China, Russia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Developed Southeast Asia
Tier 6: The field slaves: South Asia, Poor Middle Eastern Countries, Developing Southeast Asia
Tier 7: Cattle: Africa, Afghanistan
The escaped slaves being hunted down: North Korea, Iran, Cuba
