Try free for 30 days
-
How the South Won the Civil War
- Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America
- Narrated by: Heather Cox Richardson
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $28.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
While the North prevailed in the Civil War, ending slavery and giving the country a "new birth of freedom," Heather Cox Richardson argues in this provocative work that democracy's blood-soaked victory was ephemeral. The system that had sustained the defeated South moved westward and there established a foothold. It was a natural fit. Settlers from the East had for decades been pushing into the West, where the seizure of Mexican lands at the end of the Mexican-American War and treatment of Native Americans cemented racial hierarchies. The South and West equally depended on extractive industries - cotton in the former and mining, cattle, and oil in the latter - giving rise a new birth of white male oligarchy, despite the guarantees provided by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and the economic opportunities afforded by expansion.
To reveal why this happened, How the South Won the Civil War traces the story of the American paradox, the competing claims of equality and subordination woven into the nation's fabric and identity. At the nation's founding, it was the Eastern "yeoman farmer" who galvanized and symbolized the American Revolution. After the Civil War, that mantle was assumed by the Western cowboy, singlehandedly defending his land against barbarians and savages as well as from a rapacious government. New states entered the Union in the late nineteenth century and western and southern leaders found yet more common ground. As resources and people streamed into the West during the New Deal and World War II, the region's influence grew. "Movement Conservatives," led by westerners Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan, claimed to embody cowboy individualism and worked with Dixiecrats to embrace the ideology of the Confederacy.
Richardson's searing book seizes upon the soul of the country and its ongoing struggle to provide equal opportunity to all. Debunking the myth that the Civil War released the nation from the grip of oligarchy, expunging the sins of the Founding, it reveals how and why the Old South not only survived in the West, but thrived.
What listeners say about How the South Won the Civil War
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dawson Ruhl
- 31-05-2021
Excellent, highly recommended
The American paradox Richardson describes so well is hard to comprehend; a white male elite convinced citizens that extending the franchise would make them and every other white God fearing American poorer. But just look at the demagogue who lost an election and was still nonetheless able to convince a plurality of citizens they were robbed. The book took me back to my childhood where I swam in a beautiful pool in lovely surroundings in Rock Island Illinois during the 50’s and 60’s. Much to my shame I couldn’t remember a single black person. It made me feel sad because black families lived just two blocks away from us. Where did those black children swim? Books like this remind us just what our future will be if we allow ourselves to be deceived by the big lie that if my neighbour succeeds I will inevitably fall behind. See Richardson’s Ted Talk, it’s a great synopsis. Highly recommend the book.
Dawson Ruhl
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Luisa
- 17-02-2021
Packed full of historical events
This book is an amazing collection of events and little known connections between events that follow the thread of oligarchs and their influence on politics and society.
So many bits of data it is easy to get lost and in the multiple timelines and threads.
Could have done with a bit more analysis and commentary to make more sense of all the detail, but perhaps the author just wanted to avoid opinion.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!