fascinating and compelling, albeit depressing and infuriating

How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America by Heather Cox Richardson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"How the South Won the Civil War" presents a fascinating and compelling, albeit depressing and infuriating look at the background, actual events , and the aftermath of The Civil War. But then, as a follow up (really the meat of the book), the author traces the spread of the same oligarchy, white supremacy, and class struggle, starting from the defeated confederacy, out westward. She shows quite clearly how the same model for class and race discrimination was used to continue the domination over non-white men, women, and immigrants by the wealthy and powerful who funded and exploited the westward conquest and domination of the western part of the continent. The myth of the American Paradox, as practiced by the founders, and then the southern slaveholders, was reworked to accommodate the westward expansion, and to ensure the domination and enrichment of the wealthy white few who held all the power and resources. Then as their worldview and power structure was threatened in the aftermath of the great depression, the myth was re-spun once again to provide the mythical and false narrative needed to rekindle the white supremacist oligarchy in the mid 20th century, and that we are still suffering from today, and that will destroy the U.S. if we can't reverse its course. This is a depressing history, but it offers rational discussion of where we are, how we got here, and perhaps how to recover and proceed.

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