How Did The Civil War Affect The Economy
The American Civil War from 1861-1865 was the bloodiest conflict in American history. One such person who wrote on slavery, southern society, and the Civil War was Karl Marx. Marx was mostly known for his critical writings on capitalism and European society, but the unique situations in the New World captured his attention. For Marx, the way in which the world was organized was strictly based upon economic factors and conditions. He would argue that the focus of the American Civil War should be on economic issues and those economic differences between the North and the South. It is clear that economics and specifically the way in which the economy was to be run and organized were the clear motiving factors for both the South to leave the Union
…show more content…
He and Fredrick Engels wrote many articles on the events that were transpiring in the US at the time. Marx saw that the southerners had a head-start on the North in terms of readiness to fight an actual civil war. The South would be able to have their recognition of independence if they were able to capture any important northern city like Washington, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. Marx saw that the war would be prolonged if the anaconda plan went through. That seizing Richmond and moving south from the Potomac would have great effects on the morale of the North, but that it would not do anything militarily significant. Marx believed that the North began the war slowly as its, “social machinery”, prevented the North from mobilizing quickly and that once the North did mobilize, it did so for defensive purposes. Marx even made it a point to acknowledge that neither side had an army that was superior to any European army or even the former regular army of the US. The writings of Marx during the Civil War were mostly concentrated in the first half of the war as it was getting started and the writings declined the more the war drags on. It is clear to see that Marx saw the North as the superior side with its burgeoning industry and population much greater than in the South. However, Marx saw in the South a side full of fighters and people who wanted to fight for their cause which they risked destroying the first true democratic country in order to
He and Fredrick Engels wrote many articles on the events that were transpiring in the US at the time. Marx saw that the southerners had a head-start on the North in terms of readiness to fight an actual civil war. The South would be able to have their recognition of independence if they were able to capture any important northern city like Washington, Baltimore, or Philadelphia. Marx saw that the war would be prolonged if the anaconda plan went through. That seizing Richmond and moving south from the Potomac would have great effects on the morale of the North, but that it would not do anything militarily significant. Marx believed that the North began the war slowly as its, “social machinery”, prevented the North from mobilizing quickly and that once the North did mobilize, it did so for defensive purposes. Marx even made it a point to acknowledge that neither side had an army that was superior to any European army or even the former regular army of the US. The writings of Marx during the Civil War were mostly concentrated in the first half of the war as it was getting started and the writings declined the more the war drags on. It is clear to see that Marx saw the North as the superior side with its burgeoning industry and population much greater than in the South. However, Marx saw in the South a side full of fighters and people who wanted to fight for their cause which they risked destroying the first true democratic country in order to