Clash of Extremes takes on the reigning orthodoxy that the American Civil War was waged over high moral principles. Marc Egnal contends that economics, more than any other factor, moved the country to war in 1861. Drawing on a wealth of primary and secondary sources, Egnal shows that between 1820 and 1850, patterns of trade and production drew the North and South together and allowed sectional leaders to broker a series of compromises. After midcentury, however, all that changed as the rise of the Great Lakes economy reoriented Northern trade along east-west lines. Meanwhile, in the South, soil exhaustion, concerns about the country’s westward expansion, and growing ties between the Upper South and the free states led many cotton planters to contemplate secession. The war that ensued was truly a “clash of extremes.” Sweeping from the 1820s through Reconstruction and filled with colorful portraits of leading individuals, Clash of Extremes emphasizes economics while giving careful consideration to social conflicts, ideology, and the rise of the antislavery movement. The result is a bold reinterpretation that will challenge the way we think about the Civil War. "Marc Egnal proposes that economics was more a cause of the American Civil War than was slavery—itself only one of the major aspects of the economic tensions between the North and the South—and that other issues led to the conflict. Egnal backs up his proposition with research into the various regional economies of the United States from its beginning up to the days of the Civil War . . . Several charts and maps throughout Clash of Extremes help the reader better understand what Egnal is discussing, along with endnotes and an index . . . Highly recommended to those interested in the causes of the Civil War and the economic history of the United States."—Curled Up With a Good Book
“Challenging a great deal of modern scholarship, Clash of Extremes promises to be the most talked-about book in years on the origins of the Civil War.”—Daniel W. Crofts, The College of New Jersey
“In lively and accessible prose, Egnal has succeeded in bringing back economics as a core factor in the coming of the Civil War. Readers are in for a delightful surprise as they explore his engaging analysis of how diverging economies produced conditions that led to secession.”—William L. Barney, author of The Making of a Confederate
“Marc Egnal’s vigorous and original argument will inject new energy into the perpetually fascinating conversation about the meaning of the American Civil War.”—Edward L. Ayers, author of In the Presence of Mine Enemies, winner of the Bancroft Prize
“A most welcome addition to the literature on Civil War causation. It is sure to spark healthy debate about the war’s origins.”—Michael F. Holt, author of The Fate of Their Country: Politicians, Slavery Extension, and the Coming of the Civil War
"A broad, revisionist assessment of the causes of the Civil War . . . Egnal delineates the economic differences among Whig, Republican and Democrat, and between regions of the country and classes of workers within those regions . . . This one's sure to provoke discussion."—Kirkus Reviews
"An illuminating contribution to our understanding of the Civil War's causes."—Publishers Weekly

Clash of Extremes takes on the reigning orthodoxy that the American Civil War was waged over high moral principles. Marc Egnal contends that economics, more than any other factor, moved the country to war in 1861. Drawing on a wealth of primary and secondary sources, Egnal shows that between 1820 and 1850, patterns of trade and production drew the North and South together and allowed sectional leaders to broker a series of compromises. After midcentury, however, all that changed as the rise of the Great Lakes economy reoriented Northern trade along east-west lines. Meanwhile, in the South, soil exhaustion, concerns about the country’s westward expansion, and growing ties between the Upper South and the free states led many cotton planters to contemplate secession. The war that ensued was truly a “clash of extremes.” Sweeping from the 1820s through Reconstruction and filled with colorful portraits of leading individuals, Clash of Extremes emphasizes economics while giving careful consideration to social conflicts, ideology, and the rise of the antislavery movement. The result is a bold reinterpretation that will challenge the way we think about the Civil War. "Marc Egnal proposes that economics was more a cause of the American Civil War than was slavery—itself only one of the major aspects of the economic tensions between the North and the South—and that other issues led to the conflict. Egnal backs up his proposition with research into the various regional economies of the United States from its beginning up to the days of the Civil War . . . Several charts and maps throughout Clash of Extremes help the reader better understand what Egnal is discussing, along with endnotes and an index . . . Highly recommended to those interested in the causes of the Civil War and the economic history of the United States."—Curled Up With a Good Book
“Challenging a great deal of modern scholarship, Clash of Extremes promises to be the most talked-about book in years on the origins of the Civil War.”—Daniel W. Crofts, The College of New Jersey
“In lively and accessible prose, Egnal has succeeded in bringing back economics as a core factor in the coming of the Civil War. Readers are in for a delightful surprise as they explore his engaging analysis of how diverging economies produced conditions that led to secession.”—William L. Barney, author of The Making of a Confederate
“Marc Egnal’s vigorous and original argument will inject new energy into the perpetually fascinating conversation about the meaning of the American Civil War.”—Edward L. Ayers, author of In the Presence of Mine Enemies, winner of the Bancroft Prize
“A most welcome addition to the literature on Civil War causation. It is sure to spark healthy debate about the war’s origins.”—Michael F. Holt, author of The Fate of Their Country: Politicians, Slavery Extension, and the Coming of the Civil War
"A broad, revisionist assessment of the causes of the Civil War . . . Egnal delineates the economic differences among Whig, Republican and Democrat, and between regions of the country and classes of workers within those regions . . . This one's sure to provoke discussion."—Kirkus Reviews
"An illuminating contribution to our understanding of the Civil War's causes."—Publishers Weekly