Literary vs Real Pirates: Desperate Fighters Against the System, or Hostes Humani Generis

The paper examines how the literary representation of pirates in the late 19th and early 20th centuries relates to the historical reality of piracy and its economic underpinnings. The romanticization of the image of pirates in culture led to their glorification, although in reality most pirates simply could not earn a living in any other way due to the inflexibility of the labor market and the lack of social support from the state. The dual image of pirates as rebels against the system or uncontrollable violators of public order reflects, on the one hand, the ability of people to a high degree of democratic organization, and on the other, show the limits of collective bargaining based on the search for a balance of interests. The death penalty for piracy, apparently an important source of romanticization of the piratic image, also contributed to the reduction of transaction costs for the seizure of loot and the “protection” of pirates from potential imitators tempted by the opportunity to use pirate paraphernalia for their own enrichment. The high cost of piracy, coupled with the high level of uncertainty, reduced the incentives for long-term financial planning, meaning that pirate hoards were largely fiction. The main beneficiaries of piracy were those who ensured its long-term existence — the state, which legalized “its own” pirates during wars, as well as the numerous intermediaries who provided them with the necessary infrastructure. Without this, the protest of individuals against the system would not have turned into a systemic problem.