Can you say the American Civil War is overrated, when viewing it on a global scale?

Question

If not, what were some of its long lasting effects, or effects it had on other nations?

Answer 1

Hell no more men died in the Civil War than in the two World wars, Korea & Vietnam combined.

Answer 2

You could easily say any country's civil war is overrated when viewed on a global scale, and you could just as easily point out how any country's civil war had an effect on other nations. Since we're talking the American Civil War, on noticable effect was naval. Iroclads had exsisted prior to the start of the ACW, but it wasn't just the US that became monitor crazy after the war. Other nations developed their own monitors, and the most noticeable feature of the USS Monitor was her turret. A feature that is still seen on modern naval vessels all over the world.

Another effect was the Gatling Gun, which can be seen as the first succesful machine gun. And today's Vulcan cannons are very clearly modern Gatling Guns.

But least you think the only effects the war had on the rest of the world were merely military in nature, you have the Brazilian sub-group known as Confederados. After the war many Confederate familys fled to South America. Their descendants still live in Brazil today.

Answer 3

Overrated a very subjective, however, no, it is not overrated.

An estimated three-and-a-half million men (3,500,000) fought in the American Civil War and 620,000 perished, which is more than all of America's combined combat fatalities.

It was a very defining era for the United States and, consequently, if the South had won the Civil War, then how would that have affected the world?

Furthermore, here is a partial list of American Civil War Inventions and Advancements which greatly affected the world:

- The submarine
- The snorkel
- Mine fields
- Water mines
- Trench Warfare
- Wire entanglements
- Aerial reconnaissance (Balloons)
- Military telegraph
- Repeating rifles
- Scopes for rifles
- Military railroads
- Steel Ships
- Working machine gun
- Army ambulance corps
- Revolving gun turrets
- Hospital ships
- Railroad artillery
- U.S. Secret Service
- Conscription
- The Medal of Honor
- Battle photography
- Electrically exploded bombs
- Anesthesia
- Camouflage
- Hand grenades
- Smoke screen
- Double Barreled Cannon

Answer 4

I am not sure what you mean by overrated. As for ratting historical significance, that is so difficult as events are connected. If Germany did not lose WWI, then Hitler never comes to power.
If the Civil War had never happened, you probably would still have a strong, wealthy industrial north, with a rural agricultural south up through the 1960s. It is hard for people to realize how poor the south was even up until the 1980s.

Answer 5

The Civil War changed America into a more centralized state. Without the Civil War, it is hard to imagine a US capable of being the deciding factor (not the only factor) in not one but two world wars.

Answer 6

the nations it had an effect on existed inside the U.S. these could be called The First Nations these were destroyed after the war or in between. the effect was once it was won the victor was free to wage war against them. as to the affects on the nation which replaced the others the KKK was one it was formed after the civil war members said they tried to regain what they lost and it still exists to a certain extent today though now outlawed. hangings of blackmen were not uncommon during its time in power look at missipi burning movie as indicator of what went on covers civil rights movement beatings lynchings racism,murders,murders of civil rights activists, other thinks happened dogs and rubber hoses used on black people, clubs, white flight to suburbs beleif guns will keep you safe, the statement that men in white hoods kept the streets safe,no one walks them and certainly no blackman was going to run them over when they marched down them so i think that statement ludicrous