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The American Civil War Considered as a Bourgeois Revolution
In: Historical MaterialismAbstract
The discussion of the American Civil War as a bourgeois revolution, reopened by John Ashworth’s recent work, needs to be based on a more explicit conceptualisation of what the category does, and does not, involve. This essay offers one such conceptualisation. It then deals with two key issues raised by the process of bourgeois revolution in the United States: the relationship between the War of Independence and the Civil War, and whether the nature of the South made conflict unavoidable. It then argues that the American Revolution is unique for two reasons: the non-feudal nature of Southern society and the fact that the Northern industrial bourgeoisie, unlike their European contemporaries, were still prepared to behave in a revolutionary way.
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1.
The major exceptions are Schlüter 1965, Du Bois 1969 and Mandel 2007.
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2.
Genovese 1972b; Foner 1988.
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3.
See, for example, Williams 2005, p. 12.
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4.
Novick 1988, pp. 95–6, 155.
-
5.
Compare Volume 2 of Beard and Beard 1935, pp. 52–121, and Hacker 1940, pp. 280–400.
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6.
See, for a selection, Camejo 1976, p. 13; McPherson 1991, pp. 10–22; Mandel 2007, p. 202; Novack 1976, p. 16.
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7.
Woodward 1951, pp. ix, 215.
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8.
See, for example, Camejo 1976, pp. 11, 216–17, 228–32.
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9.
Moore 1969, pp. 427–8.
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10.
Moore 1969, p. 112.
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11.
Moore 1969, pp. 149–52; Anderson 2010, p. 263, n. 1; Genovese 1972b, pp. 345–8; McPherson 1991, pp. 9–10.
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12.
Ashworth 1995, p. 498.
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13.
Ashworth 2007, p. 647.
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14.
Runkle 1964, pp. 138–41.
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16.
Cairnes 1862; Olmstead 1862.
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17.
Anderson 1992a, p. 106; Fernbach 1973, pp. 31–2; Genovese 1972b, pp. 321–35.
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18.
Marx 1976, p. 90.
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19.
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21.
Eley 1984, p. 85.
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22.
Abbott 2001, p. 250.
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23.
Callinicos 1982, p. 110.
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24.
See, for example, Lenin 1962, pp. 75–6.
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25.
Lenin 1977, pp. 110–11.
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26.
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27.
Ste Croix 1981, p. 52.
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28.
Banaji 1977, pp. 4–5, 30–1; Marx 1973b, p. 463. See also the useful summary of Banaji’s position in Bakan 1987, pp. 75–7.
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29.
Callinicos 1989, pp. 124–7; Davidson 2005, pp. 27–32; Stedman Jones 1977, p. 86. For a recent, tentative acceptance of this position by a non-Marxist, see Beik 2010, p. 122.
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30.
Marx and Engels 1973, p. 67.
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31.
Ste Croix 1981, p. 66.
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32.
Marx and Engels 1973, p. 68.
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34.
Katz 1989, p. 181.
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35.
Mann 1993, p. 229. See also Goldmann 1964, p. 117.
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36.
Draper 1978, p. 169.
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37.
Draper 1978, p. 289.
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38.
Anderson 1992a, p. 112.
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39.
Stedman Jones 1977, p. 87.
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40.
Anderson 1974, p. 431; Anderson 1992a, pp. 110–11; Callinicos 1989, pp. 136–59; Davidson 2003, pp. 9–15.
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41.
Davidson 2010, pp. 345–6. For a detailed account, see Davidson 2003, pp. 73–285.
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Davis 1986, p. 12.
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44.
Redpath 1859, pp. 300–1.
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Clemenceau 1928, p. 226.
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46.
Anderson 1992b, pp. 155–6. See also, specifically in relation to the US, Callinicos 1989, pp. 153–4.
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47.
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48.
See, for example, Wood 1992, pp. 175–6.
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49.
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55.
Volume 2 of Beard and Beard 1935, p. 54.
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56.
Merrill 1990, pp. 481–93.
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McDonald 1979, p. 3.
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58.
Drayton 1836, pp. 179, 180, 181.
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61.
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62.
Marx 1973c, p. 351.
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63.
Blackburn 1988, pp. 9, 383–4; Finley 1983, pp. 11, 80–1.
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64.
Marx 1973b, p. 224.
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65.
Marx 1973b, p. 513.
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66.
Roediger 1994, p. 49.
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67.
Marx 1976, p. 878.
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68.
Kolchin 1993, p. 6.
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69.
Blackburn 1997, p. 374.
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70.
Banaji 1977, pp. 15–7.
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71.
Hook 1999, pp. 103–10, 193–201.
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72.
McPherson 1997, p. 27.
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73.
Fox-Genovese and Genovese 1983, pp. 39–40.
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74.
Kolchin 1993, p. 190.
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75.
Lenin 1963, p. 128.
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76.
Byres 1996, pp. 27–8.
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77.
Hobsbawm 1975, p. 188.
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78.
Blum 1978, pp. 362, 370; Byres 1996, pp. 105–8.
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79.
Kolchin 1993, pp. 99–105.
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80.
Fox-Genovese and Genovese 1983, p. 263.
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81.
Allen 1997, p. 249.
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82.
Bowman 1980, pp. 783, 785–6, 795, 806–7.
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83.
Tchakerian 1994, pp. 519–20.
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84.
Kolchin 1993, p. 153.
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85.
Bakan 1987, pp. 86–91; Wright 1987, pp. 865–73.
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86.
Turley 1996, pp. 187–9.
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87.
Blackburn 1997, pp. 492–3.
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88.
Russell 1863, p. 179.
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89.
Ransom and Sutch 1988, pp. 138–9.
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90.
Brown 1859, pp. 594–5.
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91.
Fogel 1989, pp. 414–15.
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92.
Wright 1987, p. 863.
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93.
Lenin 1964, p. 59.
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94.
Trotsky 1977, p. 223.
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95.
Dawson 2003, p. 115.
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96.
Engels 1995, p. 364.
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97.
Marx 1995, p. 277.
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99.
Schurz 1913, p. 354.
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101.
McPherson 1995, pp. 430–1.
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102.
Lowe 1996, pp. 27–8.
-
103.
Volume 2 of Beard and Beard 1935, p. 115.
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104.
McPherson 1988, p. 861.
-
105.
See Davidson 2003, pp. 272–5.
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The American Civil War Considered as a Bourgeois Revolution
In: Historical MaterialismAbstract
The discussion of the American Civil War as a bourgeois revolution, reopened by John Ashworth’s recent work, needs to be based on a more explicit conceptualisation of what the category does, and does not, involve. This essay offers one such conceptualisation. It then deals with two key issues raised by the process of bourgeois revolution in the United States: the relationship between the War of Independence and the Civil War, and whether the nature of the South made conflict unavoidable. It then argues that the American Revolution is unique for two reasons: the non-feudal nature of Southern society and the fact that the Northern industrial bourgeoisie, unlike their European contemporaries, were still prepared to behave in a revolutionary way.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 817 | 154 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 455 | 9 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 264 | 22 | 1 |