Posted on 01/09/2019 4:24:51 PM PST by Aquamarine
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FYI, America has already been experiencing a cold civil war for at least a decade.
“FYI, America has already been experiencing a cold civil war for at least a decade. “
Indeed. Only a tipping point is needed to change the temperature.
A popular topic these days, sadly.
The Spanish Civil War is a common model for the current process of radicalization of the “sides”, in a modern polity. Interesting if rather belated article.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/learning-from-the-spanish-civil-war/
I highly recommend Beevor’s “Battle For Spain”, as a superb case study of how these things can go. The communal hatred that is growing in the US does seem very “Spanish”, in that way.
100%. Now, all it takes is a spark, and it need not be a large spark.
One side promises you that if you join a ‘union’ and you don’t like it you can leave.
Then when you try to leave (like if they tell you you can’t own slaves anymore) they send people with guns to tell you that you can’t leave.
But it could be them forcing you to do anything- like buy health insurance.
For a civil war that looks like ours or the Spanish civil war you need two polities with contiguous borders and access to resources. Our civil war would be countries versus cities except fedgov and archers daniel midland would be sure to control all major food and water supplies. You’d need an evenly split armed forces for this to work. I don’t see a scenario where that is likely - depending on what happens the armed forces are going to strongly on the side of the existing government or the people trying to overthrow it.
I really believe we are headed for a second civil war. Ronald Reagan always predicted one would come, and I believe him. It will not be pretty from the start to the end. Shucks, we may come to live under the Chinese, the Indians, The Russians, the Iranians...who knows. One thing I do know for sure, individual freedom and liberty will die...forever!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqn0kiYBiMI&list=PL4w-2j6Q0Qj4iJ7GmEoQGWMUBeE5h1GVq
The Brits did a 6 part documentary series on the Spanish Civil War back in the 80’s much similar to ‘The World at War’ and were able to still interview some of it’s aged participants.
It was actually more Spanish than Communist vs. Fascist. Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini were all frustrated with the factions they were backing.
The Spanish military was not evenly split - the vast majority remained loyal to the Republic, regardless of the popular myths.
However, some critical parts of it, the so called “Army of Africa”, which was by far the most experienced and best trained, declared for the Nationalists. They put in an astonishing military performance in the desperate early weeks of the war, and thereby kept the rebellion in business.
Spain was also split by country vs city, and class vs class. It certainly wasn’t unified regions against each other. It was a terrible, mixed-up, chaotic situation, and which piece of ground went to one side or another was a matter of chance. It is a rather good analogy of the situation that could be in the US.
"...Civil War / Civil War II..."
A US Civil War will also be extremely complex, extremely parochial, and will no doubt frustrate any foreign powers who decide to intervene.
Have been at war ever since they required me to buy health insurance I did not want. And they have not seen a personal income tax return from me since. Wake me when the shooting starts.
The problem with democracy is when Democrats lose by one vote then you might have civil war.
After all, Democrats work hard to cheat the ballot boxes.
The critical point is not who owns resources “on paper”, but who controls the territories on which they lie.
One of the first casualties in such a war is property rights, and the other casualty is authority. The law becomes much more about who can enforce it.
Civil wars destroy economies and dissolve militaries, and eliminate wealth based on debt or equity ownership. Money becomes less meaningful with extreme inflation and the loss of legitimacy.
It is hard to imagine this stuff if you have not been in such a situation, and a typical thing is for large numbers of people to continue to assume things are normal, when they are not.
Thank God we have never had one of those before. Lol.
Like these quotes from "The Russian Revolution" by Alan Moorehead 1958. And like what's happening here now.
"… this was a predatory state which the Czar and a small group of noblemen and bureaucrats ruled for their own exclusive benefit...The ruling group owned all the wealth, enjoyed all the privileges and monopolized all the political power, and it did not intend to give up any of its prerogatives. It considered the peasants to be little better than animals..."
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