To What Extent can it be Argued that the North was Better Prepared to Fight and Win the Civil War in 1861?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view 9 essays on International History, 1945-1991 that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

To What Extent can it be Argued that the North was Better Prepared to Fight and Win the Civil War in 1861?

At the outbreak of Civil War in 1861 the North had a greater industrial capacity, a larger army and a government infrastructure already in place. The South on the other hand had very little industrial capacity, a much smaller army and navy, and had to build a government from scratch. The North appeared to be much better prepared to fight and win the Civil War. The South did still have several advantages however; not least the fact that they did not need to beat the Union, just outlast it.

The North easily had the odds in its favour at the outset of war; including greater manpower and more resources. However resources on their own do not win wars, they need efficient management; and most historians believe that the Northern government handled the war well. Lincoln was fortunate in the fact that he took over a 'going' concern. Unlike the Southern government, most of the infrastructure of government in the North was already in place. This meant that politically the North were better prepared to fight the