▁period ▁following ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁an ▁influ ential ▁group ▁of ▁sch ol ars , ▁led ▁by ▁J . D . ▁F age , ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁negative ▁effects ▁of ▁sla very ▁had ▁been ▁ex agger ated , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁export ▁of ▁slaves ▁had ▁been ▁offset ▁by ▁population ▁growth . ▁Walter ▁Rod ney , ▁a ▁special ist ▁on ▁the ▁Upper ▁Guinea ▁Coast , ▁counter ed ▁that ▁European ▁demand ▁for ▁slaves ▁had ▁vast ly ▁increased ▁the ▁economic ▁importance ▁of ▁the ▁slave ▁trade ▁in ▁West ▁Africa , ▁with ▁cat ast roph ic ▁effects . ▁Rod ney , ▁who ▁was ▁active ▁in ▁Pan - A fr ican ▁independence ▁movements , ▁accused ▁F age ▁of ▁white w ash ing ▁the ▁role ▁of ▁Europe ans ▁in ▁Africa ; ▁F age ▁respond ed ▁by ▁acc using ▁Rod ney ▁of ▁national ist ▁rom antic ism . ▁ ▁Deb ates ▁on ▁the ▁economic ▁impact s ▁of ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁trade ▁were ▁further ▁stim ulated ▁by ▁the ▁publication ▁of ▁Philip ▁Curt in ' s ▁The ▁Atlantic ▁S lave ▁Trade : ▁A ▁Census ▁( 1 9 6 9 ), ▁which ▁argued ▁that ▁ 9 . 5 6 6 ▁million ▁slaves ▁were ▁export ed ▁from ▁Africa ▁through ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁trade . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁the ▁debate ▁on ▁the ▁economic ▁impact s ▁of ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁trade ▁increasing ly ▁turned ▁on ▁dem ographic ▁estimates ▁of ▁slave ▁exports ▁in ▁relation ▁to ▁contin ental ▁birth ▁rates . ▁Most ▁sch ol ars ▁now ▁believe ▁that ▁Curt in ▁was ▁too ▁conserv ative ▁in ▁his