Does Reconstruction succeed of fail? Why or why not?

Answer 1

I think in terms of it's purpose, bringing the South back into the Union it succeeded with flying colors. But to make the South like the North it failed miserably. In some towns below the Mason Dixon line, there is great disdain for the "Yankee" In many ways we are still fighting the Civil War.

Case in point, My sister and her husband had to move from Michigan to Alabama because of a Job Transfer. When my sis moved in she was shy of course because she didn't know anyone. She was also with out food. So she goes into a local grocery store> gets everything she needed an order of approximately $250 and at 1980 dollars that was a lot of money.

At the time she was 5 months pregnant. The checkout clerk asks her if she wanted help with the groceries out the door, and my sister replies. OH PLEASE YES that would be wonderful. The girl turns around and mumbles "Damn slut Yankee". My sister was livid. She asked for her money back and said she was never shopping there again.

The whole incident was heard by the store manager and owner who said take the food and fired the clerk.

Answer 2

Reconstruction can work as in the case of Germany following WW2. A viable economic state was created from the ruins of Germany solely because of the reconstruction. Of course it was also used as a tool to gain an ally and a base against the so called "Red Menace" from the east.
It did not work in Vietnam.

In todays times using reconstruction to rebuild Iraq is only going to be useful in the short term, as an attempt to gain the "hearts and minds" of the people.

I would envisage that within a short time of the withdrawal from Iraq, civil war will beak out and the country will become a Theocracy. All attempts to turn that country into a Democracy will fail. The Shiite majority will eventually defeat the Sunni minority. Iran will see to that.

Answer 3

it did fix the usa up, good as new