Response paper - Assignment Example

Response paper In the article, “Emancipation and empire,” Sven Beckert identifies the U.S. Civil War as an essential factor that assisted in determining the transformation of the American nation. The civil war was an indispensable element that the author identifies as primary to the international network of cotton production and global capitalism (Beckert 1405). In order to provide evidence to support his claim, the author refers to a considerable number of reliable studies. Most of these studies do not only relate to the effects of the civil war on the American nation, but also the ramifications that the war created to industry and international trade.

One aspect to consider in reference to the author’s use of the different publications is that he recognizes that most scholars overlook the effects of the civil war on the international level (Beckert 1407). Instead, he focuses on the structure of the cotton industry before, during and after the way to come up with his conclusions.Since the author considers the structure of the cotton industry in the three phases mentioned earlier, he provides a clear understanding of the effects that the war and the cotton industry had on global networks.

The understanding does not only relate to the global web created due to trade between nations, but also the factors that contributed to global capitalism. In order to create a seamless flow of the events leading to the reconstruction of the global network of cotton production, Beckert refers to numerous historical accounts. These accounts are not only economic in nature, but also political, legal, and agricultural, among other explanations.Beckert identifies the different policy positions among the different nations as influential in encouraging the international reshaping the world cotton industry.

He provides explanations regarding the manner in which the policies governed trade between cotton producing countries. These provisions are vital for determining the factors that influenced cotton production. For instance, the author identifies that the most critical foreign policy goal for the Union was the maintenance of the neutrality of the European governments. Conversely, the most critical foreign policy of the Confederacy was to gain recognition (Beckert 1417). Even though the policies were necessary for enhancing the production of cotton, they created were influential in creating a balance trade and production.

In relation to the way the civil war was instrumental in creating the global network of cotton production, the upheavals prevented the United States from producing sufficient cotton to meet the escalating demand globally (Beckert 1419). The author provides vivid explanations regarding how the changing international demand and the shifts in production because of the war influenced production. Conversely, the author identifies the workings of the different capitalistic nations after the reduction in American production as part of the primary determinants to the reconstruction of the global cotton production.

The author makes this argument by referring to speeches, books and letters promoting non-slave cotton production. An individual could use these factors, together with the credibility of the sources that the author uses to argue that the structure supporting the author’s conclusion is clear. He provides clear monumental changes in a well-defined timeline, which makes the article informative and reliable.Works citedBeckert, Sven. Emancipation and empire: Reconstructing the worldwide web of cotton production in the age of the American civil war.

The American Historical Review, 109(5), 2004. pp. 1405-1438