I wonder what life would be like if the south won the civil war?

Answer 1

We would all be a bunch of in-bred tootless pick up truck driving rednecks with a fourth grade education.

Answer 2

The only chance that the South had to win the war was for the North to give up the cause. The south was defeated for the very reason they were fighting for, state rights over federal rights. During the civil war the south had difficulty cooperating with one another and the powers of the Confederate States of America was extremely limited. Jefferson Davis had to beg southern governors for support, troops, supplies, and funds to fight the war. After the war many warehouse full of war supplies and materials were discovered where these materials were horded and lot released to the starving Confederate troops for often piety and self-serving reasons. I believe that the very reason for the south to go to war would prevent a long lasting confederation. Issues would have arose that would have subdivided the confederation again.

But for your question lets assume that the Battle of Shiloh was a Union defeat, and that at Gettysburg the south took little round top the first day and cemetery ridge the second and the Union forces withdrew to a defense posture around Washington DC. Lincoln was defeated in the 1864 elections by McClellan and the "Peace" Democratic Party gained control of the Congress. With the elected President and the new US congress recognizing the CSA Great Britain and France would also recognize the CSA and the CSA would be an Independent nation. Britian and France could never recognize the South before despit the strong desire to do so because both of them had already abolished slavery. Chances are Britian and France would have forgave allot of the war debt owed to them by the CSA in exchange for trading rights, shipping rights and the promise of good conditions of future crops of tabaco, sugar, and cotton. The south would have eventually be forced to give up the institution of slavery under pressure from their new allies. The South would have been in a very poor condition and it is unlikely that the North even McCellan would have gave up the gains made up to 1864. New Orleans, Kentucky, and West Virginia would be under the Unoin control so trade along the Mississippi would have to flow under the terms agreeded upon with the USA. A possibility arises that possible Britian would have annexed the south eastern seaboard Virginia, the Carolinas, Gerogia & Florida either as part of the British or a (limited) independent nation subservent to Britian. I do not think it would have influnced the expansioin of the west being that the south tool about 20years to recover for the war. I do feel that when the south would try and expand beyond Texas, Kansas eventually their might have been another war. In the manner as the Kansas Missuri border wars pre led the Civil war.
So in summation had the South succeded it would have been a small country lacking unitiy and cohesion making it vuleranble to foreign intervention, and possible another war with the Union. Its would be financailly dependent upon a foreign benefactor and its economy you be tied with the same. I do not the the expansion of the west or the development of the north would have been greatly effected or impeded.

Answer 3

There is a very good chance that there would have been a third war with Great Britton, launched through Canada. One of Lincolns primary concerns with preserving the Union of the States was safety in numbers. England would likely have been able to take advantage of the North by forcing it to fight a two front war in attacking from the north with little risk to it's self because it had Canada as a staging area and jumping off point. By the 1860s England still was not regarded as an Allied power which didnt happen until world war I. and in fact was guardedly hostile by allowing the confederate states to purchase military materials and ships that were being made to order in British ship yards and factories. believing that if the North were weakend by the South, that Northern states might be more easily taken and the South would become a valued trade partner. and although the emancipation proclamation stopped England from openly choosing to come in on the side of the South. one has to believe that it would not have kept them from partnering with the south had the war gone against the North in the end.

Answer 4

Either we would all be eating pickled pig's feet and grits, or the North would have boycotted anything the South made (cotton, citrus, whatever) and the South would have collapsed. The majority of heavy industry was in the North, so it would have been able to sustain its economy. So, in the end the south's secession would have failed anyway.

Answer 5

Well, for one thing, we would have to wait a couple more generations before there would be anyone like Oprah, Obama, Colin Powell, etc.

I believe slavery would have ultimately ended anyway, but it probably would have been mitigated by a slave revolt rather than the industrial north playing politics with the agrarian south.

In the long run, the north would have prevailed. but the battle would have been far uglier and longer lasting

Answer 6

That is unknowable because the south would have broken up and most of the states would have been swallowed by the Spanish. Spain would have been the greatest power on earth.

Answer 7

We'd all have slaves.

Sports would be nowhere near as exciting

However, annoying people like Al Sharpton and Oprah would not exist.

Answer 8

there would be two countries instead of one.
the south would have their own government.
north would have theirs.
sort of like east and west virginia have separate state governments now.

Answer 9

I think we would have been split into two countries. Then the southern economy would have crashed and burned (sorry folks) because of their weak economy.