The Civil War: America's Second Revolution
The American Civil War was four years of the most brutal warfare the US has ever seen, followed by the smoldering revolution and counterrevolution of Reconstruction. It was the foundry that transformed our conception of this country from “the United States are,” to “the United States is,” overthrew chattel slavery as a mode of exploitation, and laid the basis for the colossal development of American capitalism in the decades that followed.
The George Floyd uprising of 2020 was a forceful reminder that institutional racism is alive and well, that the fight against inequality and oppression cannot be separated from the fight against class exploitation, and that the only way to bring about serious, systemic change is through mass struggle and the fight for socialist revolution.
The Civil War illustrates the dynamics of revolution and counterrevolution, and should be studied by all class-conscious workers and youth. A clear understanding of this period is essential if we are to understand the country we live in, as it has a direct bearing on the struggle against exploitation and oppression in all its forms. In this booklet, Socialist Revolution editor John Peterson explains these titanic events and their world-historic significance.
By John Peterson.
47 pages.
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