One hundred and fifty years after the first shots were fired on Fort Sumter; the Civil War still captures the American imagination; and its reverberations can still be felt throughout America's social and political landscape. Louis P. Masur's The Civil War: A Concise History offers a masterful and eminently readable overview of the war's multiple causes and catastrophic effects. Masur begins by examining the complex origins of the war; focusing on the pulsating tensions over states rights and slavery. The book then proceeds to cover; year by year; the major political; social; and military events; highlighting two important themes: how the war shifted from a limited conflict to restore the Union to an all-out war that would fundamentally transform Southern society; and the process by which the war ultimately became a battle to abolish slavery. Masur explains how the war turned what had been a loose collection of fiercely independent states into a nation; remaking its political; cultural; and social institutions. But he also focuses on the soldiers themselves; both Union and Confederate; whose stories constitute nothing less than America's Iliad. In the final chapter Masur considers the aftermath of the South's surrender at Appomattox and the clash over the policies of reconstruction that continued to divide President and Congress; conservatives and radicals; Southerners and Northerners for years to come. In 1873; Mark Twain and Charles Dudley wrote that the war had "wrought so profoundly upon the entire national character that the influence cannot be measured short of two or three generations." From the vantage of the war's sesquicentennial; this concise history of the entire Civil War era offers an invaluable introduction to the dramatic events whose effects are still felt today.
#310844 in Books 2013-09-15 2013-09-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.20 x .90 x 8.40l; 1.03 #File Name: 0199679258448 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An unusal approach to a nasty historyBy melwestWhile researching a book about the war; Mary Fulbrook; a professional historian; stumbled on the fact that her godmother had been married to a senior Nazi official. What made this all the more shocking was that Mary Fulbrook's her mother had been forced to flee Nazi Germany in the early 1930's because of her Jewish roots. After the war; Ms. Fulbrook's mother got back in touch with her best friend; sending her packages of food and clothing from England and; over the years; spending vacations and quality time together. That woman became Fulbrook's godmother. But this close family friend never let on that her husband had been a senior nazi official in charge of the civil administration in Bedzin; the small town near Auschwitz. As such; the husband was in charge of implementing the progressively harsher racial policies that stripped Jews of their property; segragated them into ghettos; dehumanizing them over time. After the war this official rewrote much of his timeline and escaped punishment for his activiities.Ms. Fulbrook uses this very compelling personal story as a starting point for a much more important examination of "ordinary nazis" vs "real nazis". She notes that after the many thousands of Germans were able to persuade themselves that they weren't "real nazis" because they had not engaged first hand in the genocide and mass murder of Jews and others. But it was these "ordinary Nazis" that enabled the Nazi state to function efficiently -- civil servants -- who made sure policies were carried out without question. She examines how this active compliance; the wilfull refusal to see where Nazi policies were headed; morphed into convenient self-denial after the war. It is a disturbing; excellently documented; nuanced book. If there is one criticism; it's that Ms. Fulbrook; in the name of fairness to her godmother's family; bends over backward to demonstrate her objectivity: well; maybe the former nazi was experiencing remorse; maybe her really did try to get out of the situation he found himself in...but the historical evidence Ms. Fulbrook uncovers is just too damning. (Ms. Fulbrook is aware of this; and admits her personal connection to the family made her give more attention to the excuses than perhaps warranted).Overall; for those with interest in this subject; this is a worthwhile read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Day-to-day life of a German "middle-manager" in occupied PolandBy johnnThe book was not what I was expecting. It seemed to me to be an anguished expression of the author's discomfort with the fact that her godmother was the wife of a "good Nazi" civil servant. Nevertheless I felt that the book gave some real insight into the workings of a "middle manager" of the Nazi regime in western Poland. It had never occurred to me that there was a civil government in the occupied territories to attend to the day-to-day business of populating the resettlement camps and ultimate demise of the "unwanted" sub-humans. Nor had I realized that these unwanted sub-humans were valuable as slave labor. The book was thus enlightening in many aspects of day to day life in occupied Poland.I found the book to be a difficult read but in the end a valuable read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Must-Read For Perspective on How So Many Germans Claim No Knowledge of the HolocaustBy Richard A. MacKinnonA very unusual but original book. It seeks to answer how perfectly "normal" Germans could have little or no knowledge of The Holocaust {in their view}. The author focuses on officials and the Jews in a small town just 25 miles on the main railroad line to Auschwitz.The reader is warned that it takes some commitment to endure the repetition of the author's thesis and conclusions which appear time and again in the book. Just when you're ready to put the book down {"I've read enough already"} another aspect of the story emerges and I pressed on. The arguments are subtle but the repetition ensures that they emerge. In sum the reader is nicely rewarded for staying the reading course.In this day and age; this book shows helpful light on issues and consequences of obedience to The System and Government. The military has the concept of "unlawful orders" and civilians need to be so-equipped as well.I have seen this book reviewed ONLY in the "NY Review of Books" and were it not for that review I would never know this book existed. For anyone seeking some answers to this huge topic area; this book strikes me as a must-read.
