An Economical Solution

Paper Summary:

This paper shows that although economic factors were the cause of each of the wars, each case offers a different perspective on the role that economics plays in war. In the final analysis, the writer shows that wars are complex and varied beasts, and no simple equation can possibly predict the outcome of such an unstable entity.

From the Paper:

"Conventional wisdom dictates that the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. However, while slavery was the lightning rod that sparked the conflict, the reason for its importance as an issue was almost exclusively economic. By 1860, the North and South were deeply divided economically. The North had become an industrial powerhouse, owning 92 percent of the country's industry and 70 percent of the railroad tracks. Meanwhile, "in contrast with the North, the South was an economy that exported raw materials and imported the more valuable finished products the shipping, storage, and also financing of the South's products were all in the hands of the North" (Why the War Came). This disparity had many consequences on the country's politics, but one clear example of its effects was the bitter political struggle over tariffs. "As the North made strides toward self-reliance and a more industrialized community, the used high tariffs to "protect their goods from cheap foreign competition." The South wanted and needed lower taxes on imports primarily because they depended on imports for the majority of their goods" (Jackson 1999). Thus, there was an entrenched economic tension between the North and South that preceded the Civil War."

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