Picture it...The United States Army has come through destroyed your town, your home, and your entire way of life. Now the process of putting things back together and making the country work is in the hands of the President and Congress. Sound familiar? Well this description could very aptly be used to describe both the US Civil War or the Iraqi War.
Your job is to read through the included articles and POST: comparisons/contrasts between the situation of reconstructing Iraq and Reconstruction after the Civil War. Try and come up with as many similarities and differences of the two situations as you can. Think critically!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/21/iraq.reconstruction/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-11-01-iraq-reconstruction_N.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3021632.stm
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Both wars had major destruction in major parts of their countries. but they are going through reconstruction as well. these reconstruction plans are similar in many ways. one major comparison is that they need to focus on major towns like after the civil war, america needed to rebuild atlanta, richmond etc while Iraq needs to focus on bagdhad. also they have difficulty between the north and the south.
they also had their differences too. on major difference is the combatants. the civil war had a north versus south battle. the war in iraq is between america and iraq. another difference is the government. the civil war had a weak government at the time but the war in iraq has a strong yet weak gov't.
Like the civil war in American, the war with Iraq left the areas of combat devastated. In the war with Iraq as well as with the Civil war, fighting broke out without any consideration or thought put into how much would be destroyed in the process or how much it would cost to repair it. Also like the civil war, the war with Iraq left more than just physical property destroyed. In both cases the economy and government was left broken.
The biggest difference between the civil war and the war on iraq was the face that the civil war was domestic, while the war with iraq is foreign. All the problems, devastation, and repercussions of the civil war were felt by everyone in the US. Most Americans however don't necessarily know how bad it is in post-war Iraq. We only see what the news decides to broadcast or troops decide to tell us about, we don't know what it feels like to live in it.
The Civil War and the war with Iraq are similiar because we didn't like how the governments were running, and because of the destruction. Major cities were destroyed.
A few differences are that in the Iraq war, we didn't like their government, so we attacked, while the civil war was because the north didn't like how there were slaves.
The Civil War and the war in Iraq have several parallels including the devastation left behind and the lack of anticipation for post-war hardships. The destruction left behind in the War in Iraq is mainly in the capitol city of Baghdad, as like the South who felt the devastation in key cities like Richmond, VA and Atlanta, GA. The lack of a post-war plan was blatantly obvious between these two Reconstruction periods. The US is 0 for 2 in that department. In Iraq, the priorities for reconstruction were not wisely set since rebuilding the country was not the first priority. Like in the civil war, the priorities were sometimes jumbled and a clear plan was never set forth.
There are some differences to these reconstructions however. The major difference being how willing the United States is to rebuild Iraq as apposed to itself in the Civil War. In the Civil War, there was a constant 100% effort being given to rebuild the nation. In Iraq, however, no one that isn't living there or serving over seas can know how badly the nation is desolated. With this, there isn't that drive to get the country fixed up like there was to fix themselves. Another distinct difference is the obvious one. During the post-civil war Reconstruction, the major leader, president, of the US was shot dead, while in Iraq there was no president and thus creating no struggle between governmental bodies on who controls Reconstruction.
Both the Cival War and the war in Iraq had major damage and destruction occur, and in both cases they were unprepaired to face the devastating aftermath of the wars. They never planned out in either situation the full extent of destruction and damage that would occur, nor the amount of casualties or the cost of reconstruction. In the civil war the reconstruction had a good premise but it wasnt executed fully or as anticipated. The cost in damage was far what they imagined along with how many americans were lost, not to mention thats approximatly sixhundred-thousand men that cant help rebuild. So with these issues they werent quite sure what to do with the newly freed slaves. This is like the war in Iraq because the aftermath was extrodarilly large compared to that anticipated. More structures and industries along with casualties had been sustaned then anticipated. Then different plans for its reconstruction kept falling through, so none had been fully excecuted the way they were supposed to be. The living conditons for they south were hardly livible as in Iraq. The conditions were rated some of the worst abuse for a 20th centuary third world country. One way they want to try to reconstruct Iraq is by establish new ways to run the country and to keep pouring money into the country through investments in oil byproducts and housing units as well as other needs, but the money is a problem now as it was then so it will need to be another long term reconstruction if it can even be pulled through, for not only some houses and industries were destroyed but entire cities themselves. Like in the Civil War how Atlanta and Richmond had been destroyed and needed rebuilding also relates to now because Bagdhad lays in ruin and needs repair before anything else.
In both the US Cival War and the Iraq War one country was left completely devastated and forced to reconstruct. Reconstruct not only their land but also their government. Both their governments were either defeated or overthrown and they were now forced to reconstruct. After the civil war the Souths economy was crippled. They no longer had slaves to farm for them so they basically had to rebuild their economy. That goes the same with Iraq. Their economy has tumbled after the war and since 2003 it has only improved in small amounts.
When people think of the major differences between the Civil war and the war in Iraq they think different people and different places. which throws many curve balls and adds in a lot of post war differences. One major difference is the Civil War was against its own people it only involved the US. They might have been fighting against people they knew. As for the war in Iraq. The US just goes over there and fights. They have no idea about who they are fighting.
Both wars had many similarities and differences during reconstruction period. Some similarites would be that both had disputes among people who needed to work together. If you're constantly aruging with rivals, how are u going to get anything done? In the Iraq war as well as the civil war they tried to put a government together that would actually work for everyone. Most importantly the wars were not thought through at all without anyone realizing the reconstruction operation that was presented later.
Besides the similarites, their were also major differences between the two wars. A major difference would be that the civil war was fought between the North and the South and the war with iraq is a foreign war. Their was also a lot more modivation for reconstruction in the civil war than their is in the iraq war. Today their isn't enough people who are willing to help or even know whats going on. The wars also had different causes of why they started. The disagreement of slavery was the main cause of the civil and the North and Souths economy were clashing. While in the iraq war america didn't like their government and what it was doing to us, so we decided to attack.
Some comparisons between the situation of reconstructing Iraq and Reconstruction after the Civil War are that both areas have left massive destruction. Both Iraq and the people during the Civil War didnt expect the amounts of damage that would be caused. With the massive amounts of damage both Iraq and the Civil War's living conditions had been hurt greatly. Therefore both areas will now have to work together to rebuild what they have lost throughout the wars.
One difference is that in Iraq the plan for reconstruction is to have an Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance to help out with the reconstruction. During the Civil War they didnt exactly have this much planing due to the fact that they didnt expect how much damage would be created during the wars but the people managed to work together and give their effort to rebuilding.
There were many different smiilarities and differences between the reconstructing of Iraq and reconstructing for and after the civil war. Some similiarties between the two was that both had to suffer the loss of many major cities being destroyed, each economy was destroyed causing major living conditions to change. Some differences between the two was the kind of war being fought. The Iraq war is more of a foreign war being fought between two countries, and the civil war was just between the North and South. Also, the causes that led up to each war was different. The cause of the Iraq war was our dislikes in our government and the effect it was doing to us..the civil war was mainly the cause of slavery between the North and South.
The post Civil War reconstruction and the post Iraqi War reconstruction have many similarities as well as many differences. There is always the most obvious similarities in comparison. Both wars had their take on leaving their countries in devastation. Also, both wars involved capitol cities such as Baghdad in Iraq and Richmond and Atlanta in the US. Lastly, the reconstruction of both post-war situations was a failure as a result of reconstruction plans not being properly executed.
Sat aside from the similarities of the post-war reconstructions, there are several obvious differences. First of all, our own country was involved in the destruction of the Civil War. Therefore, the post-Civil War reconstruction was one of the countries' top priorities after the war. The destruction of the Iraqi War is not directly involved with the people in our country; probably as a result of their country being located on the other side of the world. Therefore, our top priorities are not as strictly directed towards the reconstruction of the Iraqi-War as they were when our country was destroyed during the Civil War.
Reconstruction in the aftermath of the Civil War, and during the Iraq War draw some parallels and differences. The most obvious similarity between the two is the fact that both of them were war torn areas that were destroyed. Both areas needed to be physically rebuilt, but their governments also suffered. The government in the Civil War was relatively young, and many of the country's resources were used during the war. The South was almost completely destroyed physically, especially the areas affected by Sherman's March to the Sea. Iraq has an unstable government, formerly ruled by Saddam Hussein, ti is now trying to establish it's own government, but it is very weak.
Some of the differences between the two are fairly obvious as well. The Civil War happened on U.S. soil, so it was experienced by Americans. Southerners saw the destruction first hand, because it was the south that was devastated. Northerners felt it second hand, due to the fact that they lived in the country that was war torn. Modern Americans were not around during the Civil War, and most of us have never been to a war torn area. Americans cannot appreciate the current state of Iraq, so there is less emotional involvement in it's reconstruction.
The similarities with what happened with Iraq and what happened with the Civil War are very much the same. Both got close to destroyed, the economy, government, homes and more were left wrecked. They both had to go through major reconstruction to fix what had happened.
Their differences include the government, that helped start the war in Iraq. The Civil War was due to the north being against slavery.
The civil war and Iraq war are very similar. They each involve massive devistation of land needed for people to survive on. The U.S army destroyed cities to kill the terrorists, while the Union army destroyed cities to get the rebels. In a sense, these wars are supposed to be about peace and taking control. These wars mostly show that a country or part of a nation isn't going to take anything, without dishing something more powerful back.
In both the American civil war and the War in Iraq, extreme devastation was a result. Also, the president during both of the wars was very unpopular with either political side. The cost of both wars was never thought about until it was too late. The government, economy, and overall stability of both places were totally destroyed. The loss of human life was immense as well.
A difference of the two wars is that during the reconstruction, Americans were eager to find a solution during the civil war, but in Iraq no one has thought of a plan yet. Another would be that the War in Iraq is a foreign war while the Civil War was one fought amongst ourselves.
In the first article from CNN, I read something that I felt was very true of both the Civil War reconstruction plan as well the the reconstruction and it was when General Stuart Bowen said, "There was a lack of clarity of roles and responsibility and a lack of effective joint-ness. By that I mean a unity of command, and that needs to be developed before we go to war." This quote made me think of the Civil War reconstruction because there was so much confusion as to what to do with all of the new problems that no one seemed to be able to answer. Lincoln had everything planned out and he had his own ideas for what he wanted to do but when he died, a new president came in with his own ideas for reconstruction and they just happened to be drastically different than those of Lincoln.
This can easily be compared to today's reconstruction situation because there is so much confusion that goes on when we have a set plan for how things are going to go and all of a sudden something goes wrong. We all have to stop and rethink things and there is so much confusion and chaos that it seems like the world is falling to pieces before our eyes.
The biggest difference between the civil war and the war in Iraq is that the war in Iraq is a foreign war and the reconstruction of the country does not effect our country nearly as much as the reconstruction after the Civil war did. The civil war was a domestic war and so the reconstruction was our problem and no one elses. With the war in Iraq, sure we caused much a the destruction but we are not as pressed to rebuild it because it is not in our country.
The civil war and the war in iraq are similar in some ways. The wars both cause lots of distruction to our country and left many without their loved ones. The wars also have in common that they are based on governments and how we disagree with them at times.
Also, in many ways they were different. The civil war, was fought within our own country, and every bit of distruction was done by americans. where the destruction to the united states was only done by iraq and there people. All the destruction we did, we would have to clean up ourselves, and the damage we do now is left for those who live in iraq.
The Civil war and Iraq war have many comparisons, and leave many people and families devastated. No matter how you slice it, war is a terrifying thing. Wars leave not only physical damage, but emotional as well. Men and women come back from the Iraq war missing limbs, and tragically some do not come back at all. The civil war was no acceptation. Many men died in the civil war, or came back disfigured. Many buildings and material things were destroyed in both wars. Cities of the south demolished, many cities and towns in the Iraqi war have been destroyed, not all because of the US.
Not only is the damage physical, it is mental and emotional as well. Men coming back from the civil war would come back and have nightmares. Women and children who lost husbands, fathers, brothers, were all affected by the civil war emotionally. Even today the Iraqi war takes a tole on the men and women who serve. And there families are affected if they die, and even when they go off to serve.
Some major differences are obvious. The civil war took place long ago. Even though at the time the weapons were considered advanced compared to the Iraq war they are like slingshots. The boom technology has had is extremely important in wars, and will continue with wars even in the future.
These 2 wars are similar in many ways. They both left major paths of destruction in their paths. People dont generally realize the damage war leaves behind when it first starts. The war in america originally was not thought to be a long term war. People thought that the south would give up and there wounldnt be problems. But not only did major cities get destroyed but the economy and government was damaged. The same in Iraq yes, there was major physical destruction. But also there was great economic difficulty from the american side and the Iraqi side. Also the government has had its share of problems in iraq and of coarse in america, where Bush has been bashed left and right for this war being his fault. Whether it is or isnt his fault since he is our leader he gets the blame.
Some of the differences are that the war in america was a civil war. So any damage to government, economy or anything else was left up to its own government. While the war in iraq, yes it is their country and they are the ones in the end that have to live in it, we helped destroy it so whether we can afford it or not we have to have some part in the reconstruction whethere we send workers there to help rebuild or we help monetarily we cant just let them deal with it.
The similarities that happened between the war happening in Iraq and the civil war vary. In both times and places the government, economy, and the general location was ruined. Both places became demolished and destroyed. Each location had to go through a lot of reconstruction and battles to get the area back in working order.
The differences are pretty much in the government, we started to help with the war in iraq to rebuild the country. The Civil war was hard because the North was against slavery while the South was for it. This caused many problems with the restructure of the US.
Even though there is a big time period difference, the Civil War and the Iraqi War do have similarities as well. They both share the common starter of any war, and that being disputes. The destruction of each was devistating to those around it. Also the Reconstruction of both lacks order, and consistancy in fixing what has been done. In the Civil War, there were problems with the right person calling the shots and how it was called, it is sort of the same with the Iraqi War. In the articles they keep saying that the reconstruction in Iraq is unorganized and that money is an issue because America was unprepared to take on such a project.
The differences between the Iraqi War and the Civil War is that the Civil War just affected those in America while the Iraqi War affects America and Iraq. Also, the Iraqi War is receiving outside help while the Civil War did not. How the wars are being rebuilt are different. The Civil War had new laws come out of this while the Iraqi War is mainly to get people back on their feet. I think, looking at each one, that the Iraqi War is the worst off because the Civil War didn't have as many uprises within the country as Iraq does. When those are looked at one wonders if its even possible to bring peace to that country.
Like the Civil War, the war in Iraq left mass amounts of destruction. Not only was all of the physical land damaged, but it also destroyed the economy and all the families in the path of the wars. Also, during the reconstruction of both wars, one of their main priorities was to rebuild their most important cities.
Some of the differences are that the Civil War was fought within the country, but the Iraqi war is being fought between two foreign countries. Also, the causes of the two wars are very different. The Civil War was caused by the disagreement of slavery, where the Iraqi war was a simple disliking of Iraq's goverment and how they're running things.
Kevin Pettengill
The US Civil War and the Iraq War have many similarities and differnences. Both wars had much distruction, some cities were completely destroyed. And thousands in human losses. Both wars had soldiers coming home with missing limbs, broken bones, and emotional distress. This is if they come back at all. The Civil War reconstruction cost millions of dollars, the thing is they did not have a lot of money. They also did not have the man power to do it, many of the men were killed or were incapable of doing much of anything. The Iraq War is costing the US billions of dollars. Money that we do not have. The Civil War had a weak government trying to do its best. Many people disagreed with the government and the people running it. The Iraq War has a corrupt government too. We are trying to fix their government when we have issues of our own in our country. A differnce with the two goverments is that the Civil War issue as in our own country, the Iraq issue is not even on the same continent. This causes less suport from some American citizens than durring the Civil War
Both of these wars had equil destruction. i think that we did a better job with the repair efforts with the civil war. it seems that the people with the Iraq war dont really know what they are doing with the repair efforts. they dont even have remotly near the money that they will need to fix all of the destruction in Iraq. Iraq has collected 15 billion of the 400 billion that they need. They need to come up with a better plan that will get Iraq a decent economy and living without spending to much money, because 400 billion dollars is not going to happen anytime soon.
The Civil war and the war in Iraq had many similarities and differences. In the war in Iraq America had pre-war plans for reconstruction. In the civil war there were no pre-war plans. The North and the south only seemed focused on the war and how to win it.Right after the war in Iraq and even during it there was reconstruction going on. In the civil war the North did not help reconstruct the south right away.Though in both reconstructions there was a collapse of a government.In Iraq though they wanted to rebuild the Iraqi government and in the civil war the North wanted to put their officials into office in the south. In the civil war Infrastructure reconstruction was a big goal as with the war in Iraq It was security that was a big problem.In both of these wars it was the differences that outweighed the similarities.
The civil war is very much like the war in iraq in regards to the destruction of battle areas. Many towns and cities turned to ash if they are in the path of determinded army. There are many forms of reconstruction used in the civil war that are similar to the reconstruction plans in iraq.
To me, the most prominant difference between both these wars would have to be weapondry. There are many more deadly weapons used today than there was in the civil war. Alot of americans have no idea of the true damage to iraq, but if we were to have it as close to home as the civil war than it would be a different story
All though the civil war and the Iraq war are almost 100 years apart they ar very simalar. both wars ended in ruins. Then there was the rebuilding of what was left of the region. In bouth wars there was a very large amount of money spent to rebuild and reconstruct the ruin left regions. There were many difference in the reconstruction as well. There are more muchians to do the work making it go quicker, and the population has grown as well so there is more man power to do the work as well.
Both reconstructions of the Iraq and the civil war were extremely costly. Billions of dollars will be spent on the Iraq reconstruction. The civil war was in the millions, which back then was tons of money basically the same as billions. Another similarity is that in both reconstructions the presidents change. Lincoln was assassinated and we just had Bush replaced with Obama. Another similarity is that the people trying to reconstruct didn’t anticipate such a big amount of work needed for both reconstructions.
Some differences are that we are trying to reconstruct a country that is very far away from us. In the Civil War we just had to reconstruct the south of our country. While in Iraq we have to reconstruct a country all the way in the Middle East. The amount of reconstruction needed is a big difference too. In the Civil War it was just a region, while Iraq is one big country.
The Civil War and Iraqui War are similar in many ways. In both wars, the United States destroyed a lot of land that they just have to rebuild. Both Reconstructions have been very expensive for the US. In the Civil War the Union destroyed most of the South's land to kill the Confederates. In the Iraqui War the US destroyed a lot of land in the effort to kill the insurgents.
There are some differences as well. After the Iraqui War the US has to rebuild Iraq. After the Civil War, however, the US had to rebuild its own nation. I beleive that the Civil War Reconstruction was more of a success than the War on Iraq has been so far. I think that in the end, however, both the US and Iraq will be able to get the ball rolling again, the same way the North and South were able to over 100 years ago.
The main difference between our Civil War and the Iraq war is that the Civil War was only one country getting involved the Iraq War is us and them. Both the wars were started because of the difference in government. America should be responsible and rebuild most of the towns in iraq that we destroyed just like how the Union destroyed the Confederate towns. Iraq should also be willing to change just like the Confederates had to change eventually.
Reconstruction for both the civil and iraqi wars are similar in that its not only rconstructing physical damage but also reconstructing a government. Another Similarity is that both wars effected the US. One of the main differences is that we are reconstructing iraq instead of the United States. Also we were reconstructing after a war that took place within our country and this war is from two different countries.
The war in Iraq is really nothing like the Civil War. Reconstruction in Iraq will be much different than reconstruction was after the Civil War.
The reason I think it will be so much different is the people in the U.S. are so far away from Iraq, and the people in Iraq are not trying to become a part of our government, they are trying to form their own. Since the war is in Iraq it is not the first priority for the U.S.government to rebuild thier nation. Also, the rebuilding was on a larger scale during the civil war because much more was destroyed. When in Iraq the damage was isolated to certain battle zones. Destruction of both places was very bad, but I would say that with todays technology and amount of people willing to rebuild Iraq will be far easier to reconstruct than the south was.
Pam Dubey
Mr. Mausolf
U.S. History
12 November 2008
There are obvious similarities between the Civil and Iraqi War, many of which are because they are both in fact wars. There were many casualties, land was destroyed, families were torn apart, and people suffered. Let’s focus on the not-so-obvious similarities and differences. After the Civil War, only the South was damaged because most of the fighting occurred there. In Iraq, the fighting is happening all over the country. Even though the United States troops are only stationed in certain areas, there are other Iraqi soldiers in the mountains causing destruction. Another difference is where the funding for the war is coming from. The US is paying for most of the reconstruction of Iraq, but nobody helped the US out after the Civil War. The cause for the Civil War was disagreements in government. The North and South had different views and they wanted to work together. The US entered Iraq with the fear of being attacked by nuclear weapons. The idea was to attack them because they attacked us. I feel this cause is not as justified.
both the Iraq war and the Civil war have a lot in common,like how both wars had toughe conimic times. also because the goverments during theses wars change because of the war. like how during the civil war the unithed states goverment was torn in half of different political standpoints.while the current war has made the votes go towords the democratic party more then ever while the republican party looks as if it is falling.
In both wars there are many comparisons. Some comparisons are that the economy was in total destruction for both. Also the government is destroyed and they have no basis for one. Another comparison is that major cities were destroyed.
Some differences are that the south was a part of the US while Iraq is not. Also another differnce is that Iraq was not destroyed by there own people. Other then that both situations were very similar.
There's many similarities with what happened in Iraq and with the Civil War. The decisions the government with both wars most people weren't happy with.Mostly because their plans were just causing more problems.Things like homes, resources, family's and much more were left destroyed. They both went through major reconstruction to fix what had happened.The war in Iraq is still going through reconstruction.
Their differences include the government, that helped start the war in Iraq. The Civil War was due to the north being against slavery and the south wanted to keep it because they depended on the fact that the slaves were doing everything for them and they never really had hands on or fend for themselves because they were so dependent on the slaves..
The reconstruction from both wars are very much alike. They both started with a lack of clarity in the roles and what needed to be done to help rebuild. After the Civil War, Congress had to take control from Johnson. For Iraqi reconstruction, 3 different departments had different views on what should be done.
After the Civil War, reconstruction probably wasn't as difficutlt, because we weren't on foreign soil and everything was in our own country. People weren't destroying our government like they did in Iraq when their government lost control for a length of time. Rebuilding Iraq also costs a considerable amount of money. People over there are still suffering and more people are dying everyday. During US reconstruction organizations were killing African Americans, so I guess the killing during Reconstruction is another problem.
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