19 August, 2011

The Economics of the Civil War

A fantastic, well-researched article about what I wrote in the title. Or perhaps more accurately, about the economic aftermath of the Civil War. Not arguing one way or the other for a "side", just giving some facts and helping to debunk some of the common myths about what happened economically in that messy time of so-called "Reconstruction". It's one bad spot? Guelzo unfortunately misreads Henry Adams'  sarcasm and casts him as an example of the Progressive disillusionment with the Civil War. Adams' position, if you read through to the end of his autobiography, turns out to be rather antithetical to Progressivism, and certainly not altogether disapproving of the C.W. Whatever my complaints about Adams, I find the explication of Lincoln's position to be quite excellent. Do persevere through to the end and get to that, even if economics bores you.

A War Lost and Found

3 comments:

Mark Mahaffey said...

On the other side of the coin (or, as Stoppard would here say, "the same side of two coins") it's remarkable how little effect the war had on blacks geographically, and (therefore?) economically. This map comparison is remarkable: http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/330-from-pickin-cotton-to-pickin-presidents/

Therese said...

A fascinating map! Thanks!

Mark Mahaffey said...

Isn't it? - it's good thinking not to conflate cause and correlation, of course, but that's pretty compelling...