Editor: I. Mallikarjuna Sharma Volume 11: 15-31 March 2015 No. 5-6

12 A Historical View of Law (V.V. Reddy) (2015) 1 LAW
in property, the source of wealth. Only citizens
were eligible to elect the law-making body,
namely, the Senate. In other words, democracy in
the slave society was only democracy for a few.
Yet, the Greco-Roman societies made
tremendous progress in economic development
by using slave labour. Besides the Pyramids in
Egypt, the Olympia in Rome, Gothic Cathedrals,
Roman aqueducts (irrigation channels) stand for
exemplary engineering skills. With the aqueducts,
agriculture became the main occupation, and it
was supplemented by animal husbandry. To assist
agricultural production metallic tool-making
developed;, silk-clothing and carpet weaving for
the sake of slave-masters made a headway; and
the army was equipped with deadly metallic
weapons. More important was the growth of
exchanges between the town and the country,
specially accompanied by the growth of various
handicrafts in towns. This meant that an urban
civilization had emerged for the first time – that
only in the slave society.
One may wonder as to how the replacement of
collective [community] property by private
property could achieve economic progress. This
is so because when a new mode of production
negates the old and outdated one, progress does
take place. Thus, when the slave mode of
production was replaced by the feudal mode,
further progress was made, and when the
capitalist mode of production ousted the feudal
mode, productive forces have grow sky-high.
Accordingly, new laws are made with the old
ones repealed or amended in order to aid and
assist the new mode of production.
Feudal Society: In spite of the economic progress
of the Slave society, beyond a point, became a
hurdle for the further advance of society. The
slaves, who were the actual producers, had no
material incentives in production. The whole
product, save that necessary for their subsistence,
was appropriated by the slave masters. Therefore,
slave revolts became frequent and that despite an
oppressive State. The one led by Spartacus 5
finally caused the gradual replacement of outright
slavery with debt bondage or serfdom and a new
mode of production, the feudal system of society,
came in its place.
Death of Spartacus by Herman Voggel (1882)
In the new society the slave-masters became
landlords, and the slaves, peasant serfs. The
peasants were allotted small plots of land for their
own cultivation and subsistence, and in lieu had
to work free on the estates of their lords for
certain days in a week. This mode of production
was better than the slave mode. For, the whole
produce raised by the peasant was retained for
himself, and provided sufficient incentive to work
hard to raise the crop yield. The lord got his
estate tilled by the peasants free of charge.
5
Spartacus (111–71 BC), a Thracian gladiator, one of
the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a
major slave uprising against the Roman Republic.
This, interpreted by some as an example of oppressed
people fighting for their freedom against a slaveowning
oligarchy, has been an inspiration to many
political thinkers, and featured in literature, television,
and film [Howard Fast’s novel Spartacus makes him
immortal in the progressive circles]. Neither any historical
account nor any of the actions of the rebel leaders
indicate that the rebellion was specifically aimed at
ending slavery [ref: Wikipedia]. However, its long-term
impact has been significant weakening of the slave
system and ushering in of the serfdom or feudal mode
of society. (Pic: Spartacus’ statue at Louvre Museum→)
Law Animated World, 15-31 March 2015 12