I don't think conditions did improve gradually under slavery if you are referring to the antebellum south. And you're referring to the conditions of the slaves themselves. I think it actually got worse once the cotton gin was invented and the demand for slaves increased.
I'm not sure what you mean by "not a good argument." I see the improved conditions not as an argument but a trade off that we made and aren't necessarily willing to reverse.
I think the confusion here is whether you believe we would be better off if industrialization/capitalism never existed. If you take that position then you're actually not a Marxist. If you don't take that position then I don't know what you are arguing with specifically regarding the improved conditions.
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