The Age of Reconstruction
How Lincoln's New Birth of Freedom Remade the World
Published on 11. June 2024
Book
Hardback
392 pages
978-0-691-25609-2 (ISBN)
Description
A sweeping history of how Union victory in the American Civil War inspired democratic reforms, revolutions, and emancipation movements in Europe and the Americas
The Age of Reconstruction looks beyond post-Civil War America to tell the story of how Union victory and Lincoln's assassination set off a dramatic international reaction that drove European empires out of the Americas, hastened the end of slavery in Latin America, and ignited a host of democratic reforms in Europe.
In this international history of Reconstruction, Don Doyle chronicles the world events inspired by the Civil War. Between 1865 and 1870, France withdrew from Mexico, Russia sold Alaska to the United States, and Britain proclaimed the new state of Canada. British workers demanded more voting rights, Spain toppled Queen Isabella II and ended slavery in its Caribbean colonies, Cubans rose against Spanish rule, France overthrew Napoleon III, and the kingdom of Pope Pius IX fell before the Italian Risorgimento. Some European liberals, including Victor Hugo and Giuseppe Mazzini, even called for a "United States of Europe." Yet for all its achievements and optimism, this "new birth of freedom" was short-lived. By the 1890s, Reconstruction had been undone in the United States and abroad and America had become an exclusionary democracy based on white supremacy-and a very different kind of model to the world.
At home and abroad, America's Reconstruction was, as W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, "the greatest and most important step toward world democracy of all men of all races ever taken in the modern world." The Age of Reconstruction is a bracing history of a remarkable period when democracy, having survived the great test of the Civil War, was ascendant around the Atlantic world.
The Age of Reconstruction looks beyond post-Civil War America to tell the story of how Union victory and Lincoln's assassination set off a dramatic international reaction that drove European empires out of the Americas, hastened the end of slavery in Latin America, and ignited a host of democratic reforms in Europe.
In this international history of Reconstruction, Don Doyle chronicles the world events inspired by the Civil War. Between 1865 and 1870, France withdrew from Mexico, Russia sold Alaska to the United States, and Britain proclaimed the new state of Canada. British workers demanded more voting rights, Spain toppled Queen Isabella II and ended slavery in its Caribbean colonies, Cubans rose against Spanish rule, France overthrew Napoleon III, and the kingdom of Pope Pius IX fell before the Italian Risorgimento. Some European liberals, including Victor Hugo and Giuseppe Mazzini, even called for a "United States of Europe." Yet for all its achievements and optimism, this "new birth of freedom" was short-lived. By the 1890s, Reconstruction had been undone in the United States and abroad and America had become an exclusionary democracy based on white supremacy-and a very different kind of model to the world.
At home and abroad, America's Reconstruction was, as W.E.B. Du Bois wrote, "the greatest and most important step toward world democracy of all men of all races ever taken in the modern world." The Age of Reconstruction is a bracing history of a remarkable period when democracy, having survived the great test of the Civil War, was ascendant around the Atlantic world.
Reviews / Votes
"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year" "In The Age of Reconstruction, Don Doyle, a history professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina, sets out to reveal a neglected aspect of Reconstruction-its revolutionary effects beyond America's shores. . . . Reconstruction may have had a more lasting success abroad, as Mr. Doyle so vividly shows, by inspiring a generation of diverse and forward-looking leaders."---Fergus Bordewich, Wall Street Journal "A compelling new history of Reconstruction. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice Reviews * "The Age of Reconstruction is ambitious and wide-ranging and the author skilfully combines the history of ideas with that of international relations."---Leslie Jones, Quarterly Review "Doyle's broader perspective [on the Reconstruction period] allowed me to see the connections between the significance of the Union victory and an era usually treated separately - the pan-European turmoil over the rise of the mercantile and working classes, demands for democratic government, and the rise of nationalism. . . . Despite the diverse locations and peoples discussed in The Age of Reconstruction, Doyle keeps the momentum going through his engaging, nimble prose."---Ron Slate, On the Seawall "Don H. Doyle's The Age of Reconstruction: How Lincoln's New Birth of Freedom Remade the World not only presents readers with a fresh look at the global effects of the American Civil War, but assesses the remaking of a young nation in the wake of slavery's destruction. . . . Doyle's treatment of Reconstruction beyond the American border is therefore appropriate for any student or historian seeking to better understand the nuanced nature of international policy in a post-emancipation society."---Rich Condon, Emerging Civil War "Doyle has delivered a readable and enjoyable account of the influence that US Americans imagined they wielded-and sometimes really did wield. It also represents a useful stocktaking of a relatively young historiographical field and offers plenty of scope for future research."---David Sim, H-Net Reviews "If it is now advisable to assess the American Civil War in the context of contemporary global history, it is also revealing to see how that conflict and its aftermath shaped international events. Such is the task undertaken by Don H. Doyle. At a time when many historians are trying to redefine Reconstruction, he offers a long-overdue examination of its international dimensions. . . . [The Age of Reconstruction] mark[s] a transition in studies of the American Civil War and Reconstruction. . . . A substantial contribution."---Brooks D. Simpson, Journal of Southern HistoryMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
52 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
692 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-25609-2 (9780691256092)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2024
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€33.99
Available for download
Person
Don H. Doyle is the author of The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the American Civil War and other books on America and the world in the Civil War and Reconstruction era. He is professor emeritus of history at the University of South Carolina and has had visiting appointments at universities in Britain, Italy, France, and Brazil.