Why people fall into debt: Sumerian man plowing on a cylinder seal
Cancellation of debts
The three demands that poor people made whenever they were able to make demands were for the cancellation of debts, the abolition of debt bondage, and the redistribution of land. What does that mean, and why did they do it?
Beginning of farming
Organizing farm work
Let me tell you a little story:
At some point, people began to live in villages, and they began to get their food from farming. But some years there was not enough rain to grow enough food.
West Asian environment
All our West Asia articles
Why did they need help?
This one couple, Imgua and Iltani, who only had a small farm on poor land, would run out of food. Rather than starve to death, they got in the habit of asking their neighbors for food.
Imgua and Iltani had these neighbors, Bittatum and Baba, who had really good land. They always seemed to have enough food to give Imgua and Iltani.
So Imgua and Iltani didn’t starve. They were really grateful to Bittatum and Baba and gave them presents like honey in return as much as they could.
History of honey
How did they fall into debt?
Then after a while, when there was a bad year Imgua and Iltana went to Bittatum and Baba to ask for food again.
Bittatum and Baba were just getting sick of lending Imgua and Iltani food all the time. So this time they said, “Okay, but you will have to pay us back TWICE as much food when you have some.” Rather than starve, Imgua and Iltani agreed.
Usury and paying interest
History of money
When the rain fell, Imgua and Iltani worked hard to pay back the debt. But their land wasn’t good to begin with, and they just could not seem to ever get that debt paid off.
Shepherds on the Royal Standard of Ur (2000 BC)
How did they lose their land?
Then another bad year came, and again Imgua and Iltani went to Bittatum and Baba to ask for food. This time, Bittatum and Baba said, “Okay, but you already owe us a debt, you know. This time, if you don’t pay off the debt we will take your land, okay?” And Imgua and Iltani said okay, because otherwise they would starve.
What is sharecropping?
But again they couldn’t really pay off the debt. One day Bittatum and Baba came with some big mean guys who worked for them and took the land. But they said Imgua and Iltani could still live there, only now they would have to pay rent on it to Bittatum and Baba.
How did they become enslaved?
Well, the next time a bad year came, not only did Imgua and Iltani owe Bittatum and Baba money, but they also got behind on the rent.
Bittatum and Baba said, ” We’ll give you food, but if you don’t catch up on the rent and pay off your debts, we’ll make you and your kids our slaves, okay?”
History of slavery
And Imgua and Iltani said okay, because otherwise they would starve. But they didn’t feel so friendly toward Bittatum and Baba anymore.
Still, no matter how hard they worked, they couldn’t really pay off the debt. One day Bittatum and Baba came with some big mean slaves of theirs and said that now Imgua and Iltani and their kids were all slaves.
They could stay on the land and keep farming it, but all the food would go to Bittatum and Baba, and they would just give back just enough to keep Imgua and Iltani and their kids going.
The three demands of poor people
Well, when Baba decided he wanted to be tyrant, and asked Imgua and Iltani to support him, he asked them what he could do for them in return.
What is a tyrant?
The Tyrant game
And they said: “Cancel our debts, make us not be slaves anymore, and give back our land!” and those are exactly the demands that poor people always made, all around the world, whenever they got a chance.
Some examples where people fall into debt and demand changes are Greece under Solon and Pisistratus, Rome in the time of Tiberius Gracchus, the revolt of Wang Mang in China, the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution.
Did you find out how people fall into debt? Let us know in the comments!
