Did Slavery Cause the Civil War?

The current emphasis on slavery as the cause of the Civil War is fraught with problems. It does not clarify the sequence of events, the divisions within the sections, or the policies and actions of the Republican Party. It is these problems that a new interpretation must address.

Clash of Extremes responds to these concerns. It argues that more than any other reason, the evolution of the Northern and Southern economies explains the Civil War.

--Marc Egnal, Clash of Extremes: The Economic Origins of the Civil War (New York: Hill and Wang, 2010), 7-8.