Biblio Files: talking about books

In the generation of the war, it was generally blamed on the writers' opponents. The south blamed the north for conditions unfriendly to it which made it seem necessary to secede, and the north claimed that the south was running the country for its own interests and ruining the north. The first historians to look back at the Civil War saw it as inevitable, although not necessarily for the same reasons; some blamed moral differences, some blamed economic differences, and some blamed Southern nationalism. The third school of thought did not believe in irrepressible conflict between North and South, but instead blamed fanaticism, irresponsible agitators, etc.. The fourth group shows the differences in the North and South(without the venom of the War's contemporaries), and examines earlier works. The fifth group debates the idea of inevetability, compares it to other world conflicts, and further examines peaceful possibilities.
Rozwenc has chosen four essays by the first, second, and third groups, three by the fourth group, and two by the fifth group. It can not avoid being about the causes of the civil war, but it focuses more on the attitudes of historians towards the causes of the civil war. A short introduction to each essay is provided, guiding the reader to contemplate the differences between the writers. Someone has written copious notes in the margin of my text, making this an easy read for me- ask to borrow my copy! Some writes have written with decidedly outdated wording, and the last part includes a selection by a Britishman whose wording is erudite and verbose. This book is not politically correct by the standards of 2005, as it includes selections which are exceedingly racist.
Serious reading.