Clash of Extremes

Clash of Extremes

While Civil War scholars fiercely debate the details of how exactly the war started (and, by all signs, will continue to do so until the end of time), many contemporary thinkers tend to agree upon one general idea—that the war was, at its core, a clash of ideals; that is, slavery caused the Civil War. Marc Egnal begs to differ, putting forth in Clash of Extremes his thesis that the peaceful relations between North and South snapped in 1861 due to the unsustainable economic tension.

While the “economics argument” has been presented in the past—perhaps most famously in the works of Charles and Mary Beard a century ago—Egnal revisits it with greater thoroughness, less dogmatism and more flexibility than his predecessors. While recognizing the flaws of earlier arguments, which, in the author’s words “provided a creaky, mechanistic analysis of sectional conflict,” Egnal supports the main principle—in essence, holding the baby while tossing the bathwater.

In Clash of Extremes he begins with an examination of the years 1820-1850, when patterns of trade drew the North and South together. While regional conflicts would rear their heads from time to time during this period, compromise always won out. The Mississippi River being the main conduit of trade, the nation’s economy operated on a north-south axis. Mutual economic interests were simply too great to sacrifice. It wasn’t until mid-century that the breaking point occurred, with the rise of the Great Lakes and expansion of business westward. As the economy began shifting from a north-south axis to an east-west one, those mutual interests were severed.

Egnal deftly connects this economic shift to the creation of the Republican party, taking to task those who would argue that the party arose primarily due to idealistic differences with the Democrats concerning slavery. Although he recognizes the abolitionist strain within the Republican party, Egnal asserts that its number-one concern involved relatively short-term economic goals. Add to this the problem of soil exhaustion in the South, which fired antebellum desire to control the border states, and the tension extended to breaking point.

Egnal carefully and systematically builds his argument without resorting to mechanistic analysis. He achieves this in large part by recognizing and exploring in great detail the roles and influence of individuals (both politicians and social activists) and religion, thus removing the undercurrent of “inevitability” found in previous economic arguments.

Those who lean toward the “idealism argument” will learn much from Clash of Extremes, while those who tend to believe that all wars are, when it comes down to it, fought over money, will find a great deal in here to support their assumptions.

Hardcover: 432 pages

Publisher: Hill & Wang ( January 06, 2009 )

Item #: 43-5965

ISBN: 9780809095360

Product Dimensions: 6.0 x 9.0 x 1.0 inches

Product Weight: 24.0 ounces