The American Civil War (1861-1865), also called the War of the North and South, has remained in history as the largest and bloodiest conflict on the American continent.In the early 1860s, a number of acute political, economic and ethical contradictions matured between the North and South of the United States, which led to the split of the country.
The northern states were inhabited mainly by enterprising people from the grassroots. Emigrants from all over the world flocked here in search of a better life. They developed industry, built big cities, built railways. The Northern states guaranteed personal freedom to everyone and sought to create a capitalist state with strong centralized power.
Planters lived in the South — rich descendants of the European aristocracy. They owned huge agricultural lands, for the cultivation of which they used slaves.
Southerners led a measured life away from big cities and held conservative views. Politics in the South was based on the principle of "do what you want, but do not interfere with others" — each state, in fact, was an independent state.
CAUSES Political contradictions
The population of the Northern States was replenished by free emigrants, and the South by slaves imported from abroad. This led to the fact that only a quarter of the population of the Southern States by the early 1860s had the right to vote.
Southerners feared that with such dynamics, all controversial political issues in Congress would be decided in favour of the North by a majority vote.
In addition, the central government located in the North wanted to extend its influence to all states, while the Southern Territories wanted to preserve local self-government.
Economic differences
The entire industry of the country was concentrated in the North, while cotton, sugar cane, tobacco and other industrial crops were harvested in the South.
For a long time, the Southern states supplied raw materials to the North, where local manufacturers were engaged in processing and exporting goods.
However, at some point the planters realized that it was much more profitable to trade with Europe without intermediaries.
Wanting to protect the domestic market, the government imposed huge taxes on trade with Europe, causing discontent among Southerners.
