The GuardianThe Guardian

The next US civil war is already here – we just refuse to see it

By Stephen Marche

04 Jan 2022 · 7 min read

Nobody wants what’s coming, so nobody wants to see what’s coming.

On the eve of the first civil war, the most intelligent, the most informed, the most dedicated people in the United States could not see it coming. Even when Confederate soldiers began their bombardment of Fort Sumter, nobody believed that conflict was inevitable. The north was so unprepared for the war they had no weapons.

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