The Devil's Milk: A Social History of Rubber

by John A. Tully

A history of the modern world told through the multiple lives of rubber

Capital, as Marx once wrote, comes into the world “dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt.” He might well have been describing the long, grim history of rubber. From the early stages of primitive accumulation to the heights of the industrial revolution and beyond, rubber is one of a handful of commodities that has played a crucial role in shaping the modern world, and yet, as John Tully shows in this remarkable book, laboring people around the globe have every reason to regard it as “the devil’s milk.” All the advancements made possible by rubber―industrial machinery, telegraph technology, medical equipment, countless consumer goods―have occurred against a backdrop of seemingly endless exploitation, conquest, slavery, and war. But Tully is quick to remind us that the vast terrain of rubber production has always been a site of struggle, and that the oppressed who toil closest to “the devil’s milk” in all its forms have never accepted their immiseration without a fight.

This book, the product of exhaustive scholarship carried out in many countries and several continents, is destined to become a classic. Tully tells the story of humanity’s long encounter with rubber in a kaleidoscopic narrative that regards little as outside its range without losing sight of the commodity in question. With the skill of a master historian and the elegance of a novelist, he presents what amounts to a history of the modern world told through the multiple lives of rubber.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Economics, World History

416 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2011

Reviews

[brunella]

could stand to have a less dramatic tone

[Bridget]

never have i hated my life so much

[Ted Garver]

The Devil's Milk: A Social History of Rubber by John Tully is, in my view, the authoritative compilation on the subject. It is very well researched on the social history relating to many aspects of rubber production, from the abuses of the seringueiros harvesting latex in Brazil to the laborers in synthetic rubber plants. This book is about inequality in a cornerstone industry that grew with industrialization and the development of the automobile industry. The book describes numerous instances where the labor issues within the rubber industry were vanguard for wider labor, political or geopolitical issues. Tully also provides insight into the link between the social issues related to the rubber industry and the environmental abuses of the industry.

[Prejudice Neutrino]

Did a book report on this for college and I never thought the history of something as "boring" and foundational as rubber would be this global and obscene.

Favorite thing I learned was that in 1876 some guy stole thousands of seeds from the South American global rubber monopoly and brought them back to England and recieved knighthood for doing so. By doing that it also destroyed the entire Brazilian economy to the point they never really recovered (even today) and there were lots of genocides, massacre's, and famines too. But yeah. Rubber is a trip.

[Malcolm]

Tully manages to write a history of rubber that is both enjoyable to read and academic. Certain characters come forward as witnesses to attrocity and invention which allows the reader to understand rubber through it's human impact. Really a great read!

[Sarah Burton]

Oh my gosh I actually finished it. This felt like required reading for a college course except I’m not in college and my stubbornness is what made me keep going. I guess I learned some interesting factoids? Mostly just glad to move on.

[Div Jones]

Just an amazing Marxist and anti-imperialist work of history.

[Sven]

Globale Geschichte der Gummiproduktion. Gut recherchiert und unbedingt lesenswert.

[Robert Max Steenkist]

Decir que terminé de leer este libro es una mentira. Leí la parte que me sirve para el propósito que persigo, es decir todo lo que explora el negocio del caucho antes de la segunda guerra mundial, las crueldades y las historias oscuras detrás de este producto.

La primera mitad del libro ofrece elementos valiosos para entender el desarrollo de esta industria, los detalles macabros que acompañaron la expansión del negocio y buena parte de las tensiones que generaron sus derivados. Agradecí que el autor le dedicara tanto espacio al impacto que la explotación cauchera y la segunda revolución industrial tuvieron en las riveras de los ríos Amazonas, Putumayo, entre otros. Me hubiera encantado que, así como explora la creación de uniones sindicales en las plantas de Akron o los movimientos en pro de los derechos laborales en las distribuidoras inglesas, también nos hubiera brindado más información sobre los movimientos de trabajadores en América Latina (aparte de Chico Mendes).

Con todo, un libro que sobrepasó mis expectativas y al que sin duda volveré con regularidad.

[John Rosenfelder]

Learned a lot from this book. How important rubber has been to war efforts. Why South East Asia feels resentful of the West, and the treatment of rubber tappers. Why the development of synthetic rubber was so important. The purpose of Auschwitz. Unionization of US rubber workers. The huge fortunes made by the big rubber companies.
I had already read "Crime of the Congo" thinking that that was the worst part of the history of rubber. It's not.