The Question of Beneficiaries: Wealth and Inequality in the Trade
Trade with Europeans enriched merchant families (especially those with direct access to coastal forts) and rulers receiving tribute in European goods. However, inequality increased as new merchant elites accumulated wealth. Warfare associated with slave supply disrupted ordinary people's lives. The benefits of trade were concentrated, while costs were distributed broadly. This unequal distribution of trade's benefits shaped subsequent West African history and contributed to political conflicts.
