How did slaves labor hurt Roman agriculture and the Roman empire?

Answer 1

The use of slave labor on farms did not hurt the small farmer. It was the taking over of the small farmer's land that hurt the small farm industry. The large landowners, for various reasons, were able to squeeze out the small landower.

Answer 2

Slave labour affected mainly the agriculture of Italy. Outside Italy there were far fewer slaves and in many provinces of the Roman Empire there were hardly any slaves.

The majority of slaves were bought by the owners of large landed estates to work in their fields. This abundant supply of labour enabled these men to expand their estates at the expense of peasant farmers. The latter worked small plots of land to feed their families. When they came under economic distress, the rich landowners took advantage of this to buy land on the cheap. Sometimes peasants were also forcibly removed from their land. These now landless people flocked to Rome to eke out a living there, swelling the masses of the urban poor.

Answer 3

Slave labor was a secondary factor in affecting the small farmers. The large estates themselves were the prime reason that many of the small farms were taken over and squeezed out of business. Slave labor was used, but not exclusively. Freeborn men were often hired during planting and harvest seasons, as it was much more cost effective to pay a man a daily wage, than to support a slave who would be idle for much of the year.

Answer 4

Slavery was part of ancient cultures for thousands of years. Since the Roman empire was one of the largest empires of its time, Rome had a huge number of slaves. As can be seen from the Spartacus slave revolt, it caused a serious problem. On an overall basis, however, slavery was immoral, but then so was invading Gaul, for example and annexing it & its peoples. Few historians will cite slavery as a major problem for ancient Rome.