by I wonder why the caste and slavery systems were so prevalent and only until recently were they removed, at least legally. People oppressed with basic human rights and respect would continue working in inhumane conditions without any revolts.
As humans, we are thinkers. However, to think, we need to first have our basic food and shelter needs met. If you or your family are hungry, it would not be fair to expect these oppressed people to think about freedom. The body rules over the brain when we are hungry. Only when there is a guarantee that there will be food on the table will our minds take over and think about leisure and freedom.
One reason could be that these slaves or oppressed people were kept so poor that they couldn’t reach a state where they would think about revolts and freedom. Even if one or two might think of it, they might be killed or punished so harshly that no one else would attempt such an act again. For instance, during the Haitian Revolution, enslaved Africans revolted, but they faced extreme brutality. In many other cases, uprisings were crushed with severe punishments, discouraging further resistance.
A second reason could be that people get used to it. We humans have a deep tendency to keep things normal and working the way they are. We literally hate change. After generations of slavery, it might be ingrained in our minds that we need to be slaves. For example, in the American South, even after the Civil War, many former slaves continued to work under similar conditions due to the sharecropping system, which kept them economically dependent. Even today, many great thinkers question whether we truly have a choice or if democracy is real. But that’s a topic for another day.
