Talk about your understanding of the American Revolution and the American Civil War.

civil war, U.S.

from April 1861 to April 1865, the war between the south and the north of the United States. Also known as the American Civil War. It is the bourgeoisie that leads the war in the north. In the south, it is only the plantation slave owners who insist on the war. The purpose of their war is to expand slavery to the whole country, while the purpose of the northern bourgeoisie is to defeat the south in order to restore national unity.

in the mid-19th century, the contradiction between the free labor system in the north and the slavery system in the south developed irreconcilable, and the slavery system in the south became the main obstacle to the social and economic development in the United States, and the struggle between the north and the south was the most intense in the land struggle in the west. In the first half of 19th century, in the process of American territory expanding westward, new states were established in the west. However, whenever a new state is established, there is a struggle to allow or prohibit slavery in that state. The northern bourgeoisie and peasants advocated the prohibition of slavery in NSW and demanded that NSW be determined as a free state. The slave owners in the south tried to expand slavery to the west and advocated that NSW should be defined as a slave-holding state. The slave owners used their dominant position in the US Congress and government to win successively, arousing the indignation of the broad masses of people in the north. In 1854, the American Republican Party was founded in the north. In the same year, the southern slave owners tried to expand slavery to Kansas by force, so an armed struggle broke out in Kansas between western farmers and immigrants from free States against the southern slave owners, which lasted until 1856, opening the prelude to the civil war. In 1857, the slave owners attempted to extend slavery to all American territories. Which led to the uprising of John Brown.

The first stage

In 186, * * * and Republican Lincoln were elected president, and the American Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat, which became a signal that the slave owners in the south left the union and launched a rebellion. South Carolina, the southern slave-holding state, first seceded from the Union, and then Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas seceded one after another. In February 1861, it announced the establishment of the "Southern Alliance" and set up another government with Jefferson Davis as its president. On April 12, 1861, rebel government forces began shelling the federal fort Sumter in South Carolina, and it was captured on the 14th. The Lincoln administration issued a crusade on April 15th, and the civil war broke out. Soon, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas left the Union to join the Confederacy.

At the beginning of the war, the strength of the North greatly surpassed that of the South. There were 22.34 million people in the North and only 9.1 million in the South, and more than 3.8 million of them were slaves. The north has developed industries, a railway network extending in all directions and abundant grain, while the south has almost no industries and few railways. However, the south is fully prepared for the military and has an army with better equipment and training. Moreover, on the eve of the civil war, President J. Buchanan tried to transport a lot of weapons and money to the south. The purpose of the Lincoln administration's war at the beginning of the Civil War was to restore the reunification of the North and the South, fearing that touching slavery would push some border slave states to the rebel side in the south, thus losing the border states as an important strategic area. Because the northern government refused to announce the liberation of slaves. Therefore, in the first stage of the civil war, the north suffered successive military defeats. In July 1861, Manacas and in the summer of 1862, the Northern Army suffered heavy losses. Although the northern army achieved a series of brilliant achievements in the western front and seized several important strategic strongholds from the southern army, these achievements were offset by the fiasco in the eastern front.

In the case of repeated military defeats in the north, * * * and radicals within the party and abolitionists in society put forward the idea of liberating slaves and arming blacks. Lincoln also realized the necessity of liberating slaves.

The second stage

On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued a preliminary Declaration of Emancipation of Black Slaves. It was announced that if the southern rebels did not lay down their arms before January 1, 1863, the slaves in the rebel States would be free from that day. After the news reached the south, thousands of slaves fled to the north. The British working class also launched a movement to support the North, forcing the British government to give up its original intervention plan.

Lincoln administration also carried out a series of revolutionary measures and policies: from 1862 to 1863, it carried out the policy of arming blacks. Therefore, thousands of blacks signed up to join the northern army, mainly southern fugitive slaves; The Homestead Law promulgated in May, 1862 stipulates that all adults loyal to the Federation can get 64.74 hectares of land in the west as long as they pay a registration fee of $1, and they can become the owners of this land after five years of farming. Lincoln government severely suppressed counter-revolutionaries and purged agents in the south-central part of the army. In 1863, the conscription law was implemented to replace the conscription system, thus strengthening the troops in the north. At the same time, Lincoln adjusted the military leadership, unified command, and appointed U.S. Grant as the commander-in-chief of the whole army with outstanding military talents.

in 1863, the north took a turn for the better militarily. On July 1 of the same year, Gettysburg won a great victory, annihilating 28, Yugoslav troops, which became a turning point in the civil war. The initiative on the battlefield was transferred to the northern army. In 1864, the supreme commander of the north adopted a new strategic policy: launching a powerful offensive on the east and west lines at the same time. On the eastern front, the main goal is to consume the enemy's strength; Go deep into the enemy's hinterland with strong forces on the western front and cut off the connection between the northeast and southwest of the "Southern Alliance". In September 1864, the northern army under General W.T. Sherman captured Atlanta in one fell swoop, and two months later began the famous "March to the sea", which completely destroyed the enemy's military facilities and paralyzed the southern economy. On the eastern front, General Grant led the northern army to drive the enemy to Richmond, the capital of the rebellion. At the beginning of 1865, slaves fled one after another, and the plantation economy was on the verge of collapse. The sea blockade imposed by the northern navy almost cut off the trade between the south and Europe. At the same time, opposition also appeared in the south, and many small farmers joined the federalists to engage in anti-war activities. Deserters from the south are increasing day by day. Food and daily necessities are scarce. On April 9, 1865, R.E. Lee's troops were trapped in the encirclement of the northern army and were forced to surrender to Grant. The American Civil War ended. The United States is reunified.

the significance of civil war

during the civil war, the war expenses of both sides consumed 15 billion dollars. The Union Army suffered 63, casualties and the Confederate Army suffered 48, casualties. The war showed the power of modern industry, and both sides were equipped with a large number of new line-bore weapons, which promoted the application and development of scattered formation, field fortifications and infantry close-pressing operations. Railways and telegrams played an important role, and armored ships, mines, mines and submarines were used for the first time in the history of war.

the victory of the north in the war established the dominant position of the big bourgeoisie in the north in the whole country. The civil war eliminated slavery, thus clearing the way for the rapid development of capitalism in the United States. The implementation of the Homestead Law has accelerated the development of the west and promoted the victory of the American-style road in the development of agricultural capitalism. Therefore, at the end of 19th century, America became the most advanced industrial and agricultural capitalist country in the world. In the reconstruction period after the civil war, blacks were still discriminated against in many ways and exploited by planters, but they gained civil rights and voting rights politically and were liberated from the slavery. Therefore, the American Civil War is of epoch-making and progressive significance in the development of American history.

The Civil War was the second bourgeois revolution in American history. Although the number of casualties exceeded 6,, it abolished the black slavery system, better solved the land problem of farmers, safeguarded national unity, cleared the way for the accelerated development of American capitalism, and laid the foundation for the United States to rank among the world powers.