Creation of Confederate Nationalism: Ideology and Identity in the Civil War South

A very interesting analysis of Confederate attempts to create a nationalism during the Civil War. Faust argues that Confederate nationalism crumbles under internal contradictions and the strains of war. The contradictions include slavery (which only directly benefited a small percentage of society) and hierarchy versus republicanism, as well as free-market capitalism versus the idea of social responsibility (which is related to hierarchy). Religion also plays a major role, initially being used to mobilize support for the war but eventually being used to highlight the inequities of society. Faust argues that Confederate nationalism would have collapse even without the war, but the war quickened that collapse. She implies the failure of show more nationalism contributed to the Confederacy's failure in the war. Oddly, her specific points are very convincing, but her idea about the inevitability of the collapse of Confederate nationalism seems in contrast to her evidence. show less