Says the god of economics: Karl Marx.
Those of us who don't believe in such false gods think there's nearly always much more than just economics involved.
Correctly stated -- every war has an economic dimension, but pure economics is almost never the root cause, or the trigger.
One reason is because economics is all about free markets, where supply and demand set negotiated prices.
If we don't like the price, we don't go to war over it, we simply substitute something else.
zeugma: "By the time of the civil war, slavery was being gradually made uneconomical due to advances in technology.
The cotton gin was pretty much going to destroy the economics of it even further. "
Sorry, but that is the exact opposite of reality.
In fact, by 1860 slavery had never been more productive or profitable in the Deep Cotton South.
Both the numbers of slaves and prices for slaves were growing rapidly in 1860 -- the Deep South had never been more prosperous.
Yes, in some Border Slave States, like Delaware and Maryland, where cotton was not grown and slaves could more easily escape via the Underground Railroad, slavery itself was struggling and more than half of African Americans had already been emancipated.
But in the Deep Cotton South, in 1860 slavery was prospering and growing like never before.
zeugma: "Slavery was a factor, but northern business interests were also a factor.
If you think so much blood and treasure was expended merely to free blacks from a condition that had existed for as long as civilization, you’re delusional.
History is always more complex than a bumper sticker slogan."
When you worship at the feet of Karl Marx, then economics and class warfare become the be-all and end-all of life, the one explanation which answers every question.
When you reject Marx as your god, then you can begin to see that human beings are very often motivated by factors other than economic.
Words that are meaningless and arcane to Karl Marx can become more important again, words like patriotism, love of God and country & Constitution, morality and ethics, commitment to the just cause, legal obligations, honor, the truth as opposed to lies, honesty as opposed to deception, family, friends and community, the list goes on and on.
For good people such words mean a lot more than the price of gas or bread, or tariff percents on French wine.
Short of starvation, we are not going to war over those, but we will go to war if you threaten our highest values.