29 - From Civil War to World Power: Perceptions and Realities, 1865-1914

Summary

Between 1865 and 1914, the United States rose to recognition as one of the world's great powers. This would seem, at first glance, to be a legacy of the Civil War, one that Americans perceived and appreciated at the time. But was it really a result of that war, and did contemporary Americans perceive it as such? A review of the evidence will suggest a negative answer to both questions. The truth seems to be that people had to live down the Civil War before the country could become a great power and they could accept and applaud its new status.

To qualify as a great power, the United States needed to develop the following: (1) a party system that would tend to unite rather than to divide the country; (2) a sense of psychological as well as political reunion; (3) a strong, assertive presidency; (4) an aggressive and expansive foreign policy; (5) a large military and naval capability; and (6) a highly industrialized and productive economy. By 1914, the United States had obtained or was on the verge of obtaining each of those half-dozen elements of national greatness. Not one of the items, however, could be traced back directly and continuously to the events of 1861-65, as even a brief look at each of them will show.