--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: after the Civil War both parties now were…" description: "\"“after the Civil War both parties now were controlled by capitalists. They were divided along North-South lines, still hung over with the animosities o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/howard-zinn-576_black-and-white_after-the-civil-war-both-parties-now-wer_1060401.jpg" --- # after the Civil War both parties now were controlled by… ![“after the Civil War both parties now were controlled by capitalists. They were divided along North-South lines, still hung over with the animosities of the Civil War. This made it very hard to create a party of reform cutting across both parties to unite working people South and North—to say…” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/howard-zinn-576_black-and-white_after-the-civil-war-both-parties-now-wer_1060401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/howard-zinn-576_black-and-white_after-the-civil-war-both-parties-now-wer_1060401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f0/howard-zinn-576_black-and-white_after-the-civil-war-both-parties-now-wer_1060401.jpg) > ““after the Civil War both parties now were controlled by capitalists. They were divided along North-South lines, still hung over with the animosities of the Civil War. This made it very hard to create a party of reform cutting across both parties to unite working people South and North—to say nothing of black and white, foreign-born and native-born.”” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Post‑Civil War politics were shaped by capitalist interests, keeping reform movements fragmented across regional and social lines. **In simple terms:** Capitalist control split parties, hindering unified reform. Key Takeaway Recognize structural barriers to cross‑class alliances. Themes politics history class reform Mood critical analytical Type historical political When to use this quote - labor organizing - policy advocacy - cross‑regional coalitions Key Concepts capitalism regional division class solidarity Questions to Reflect On - How can reform movements bridge historic divides? - What strategies overcome entrenched class interests? A Different Perspective Economic interests often dominate political agendas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Working people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-people/) ## Related quotes > [The Democratic Party is not the party of reform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/the-democratic-party-is-not-the-party-of-reform/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [“Just as African Americans had learned that they did not have enough strength to make good the promises of emancipation, working people learned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/just-as-african-americans-had-learned-that-they-did-not-have-enough/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“That contract law was intended to discriminate against working people and for business is shown by Horwitz in the following example of the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/that-contract-law-was-intended-to-discriminate-against-working-people/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The ideological and cultural revolutions have been promoted successfully in the countryside with the result that the ideological and spiritual qualities of our agricultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-jong-un/the-ideological-and-cultural-revolutions-have-been-promoted/) [Kim Jong-un](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-jong-un/) > [I love working with people I admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaska/i-love-working-with-people-i-admire/) [Alaska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaska/) > [“It is the city that is wrong, and its creations can never be right; they may be improved; they can never be what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/it-is-the-city-that-is-wrong-and-its-creations-can-never-be-right/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [While we still live in a capitalist society, we of course will fight for whatever reforms help make life better for working people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kshama-sawant/while-we-still-live-in-a-capitalist-society-we-of-course-will-fight/) [Kshama Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kshama-sawant/) > [“Since its origins, socialism has meant the liberation of working people from exploitation. 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So when the British military commander in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/george-washington-had-turned-down-the-requests-of-blacks-seeking/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) [Explore all 461 Howard Zinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## More Black and white quotes > [“In the picture, Ava Gardner's tousled black hair obscured her right eye, and her full, closed lips were pulled slightly to the right, resulting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gifford/in-the-picture-ava-gardner-s-tousled-black-hair-obscured-her-right/) [Barry Gifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gifford/) > [The world doesn't see a lot of gray. The world sees black and white, and then it understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/the-world-doesn-t-see-a-lot-of-gray-the-world-sees-black-and-white/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [We shall be free only together, black and white. 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