The Economics of the Civil War Podcast
1) 8. The Civil War and the Growth of Government
Black reconstruction after the Civil War did much better than the dire predictions made. The black population recovered quickly. Many moved to urban areas. They deliberately had fewer children. Mortal...Show More
2) 7. The Cost and Consequences of the Civil War
There was a sea change in money and banking in the U.S. as a result of the Civil War. Government became the primary regulator. Metal coins gave way to paper. Mistakes of one bank infected others &ndas...Show More
3) 6. Inflation: North and South
Inflation is a giant rip off, a stealth tax stealing purchasing power. Money is not neutral. The first receivers of new money benefit. Savers and those on fixed incomes struggle. From 1857 until the w...Show More
4) 5. Confederate Blockade of the South
The Confederate government blockaded the Southern economy by bad policies like impressment and trying to run the blockade themselves. The government declared that fifty percent of all cargo space had ...Show More
5) 4. The Rhett Butler Effect
Blockade boat owners turned to engines for speed instead of sails. Blockade running became more expensive as the blockade became stricter. Certain prices increased much faster and higher. Most g...Show More
6) 3. The Union Blockade and Southern Strategy
Tariffs were generally favorable for the North and unfavorable for the South. They were a key political battle for forty years. The Union General Scott developed the anaconda plan to squeeze the breat...Show More
7) 2. Economic Tools for Understanding the War
Opportunity cost is the proper economic basis for specialization and trade in resources. Opportunity cost is the highest value you give up when you make a choice. It was Confederate government policy ...Show More
8) 1. How Did the North Win?
The Economics of the Civil War should instruct us in ways that the history of the Civil War might not. Cotton had much to do with what the war was about. Slavery as a cause of the Civil War is a moder...Show More