How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them

While Walter focuses primarily on the Trump presidency, division and factionalism in the US predate this time period. The legacy of structural racism is one factor that explains the country’s political divide. The US has taken decades to address this issue. For example, the passage of the Civil Rights Act—which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, or national origin—occurred almost 100 years after the end of the first civil war. Over the last few decades, institutions have attempted to more quickly address structural racism, such as through affirmative action policies. However, Black Americans still remain on unequal footing with their white counterparts.

This attempt to make the US more equitable has caused backlash among white Americans, especially those living in rural areas. These individuals, who represent America’s sons of the soil, feel that their power and status are under threat. They believe the federal government is abandoning them as more and more jobs move from rural areas to cities. These feelings of vulnerability and fear have enabled extremists (i.e., ultranationalists) to begin to radicalize some white Americans into believing violence is the only way to protect their way of life. The US has seen the rise of militias over the last few decades, but especially since the election of President Barack Obama, who was the country’s first Black president. Propaganda and misleading information through social media platforms have exacerbated feelings of insecurity and anger amongst these groups.

Capitalism in the US is another factor. There are numerous benefits to capitalism, but there is also a dark side. In the US, this system has generated tremendous wealth for a tiny portion of the population, which has increased income inequality over the last several decades. The average American sees their paychecks covering less and less. Moreover, economic mobility (i.e., the ability to move from one socioeconomic level to another) is stagnating. As a result, more people are getting angry that the capitalist system is leaving them behind. AI and automation are exacerbating these tensions.

The media represents a third factor. Prior to the mid-1980s, Americans primarily only had access to three media networks. These networks were not controlled by their ratings; thus, they presented more moderate views of the news. The shift to a 24/7 news cycle radically changed the media landscape. Media companies began to focus on incendiary topics since these increased ratings. Similarly, they also told stories from the perspectives they knew their audience wanted to hear. There are now liberal and conservative news outlets rather than just simply news outlets. While there are more media outlets than ever before, people only tune into outlets that support their viewpoints. Thus, Americans are receiving a much narrower view of the news and politics.

The advent of social media, a topic that Walter covers in detail, has only made matters worse. Social media algorithms intentionally show people more and more incendiary content since this keeps people engaging with the platforms. Ethnic entrepreneurs, who were once banned from mainstream media, have found a voice on social media. This has enabled them to spread their propaganda and lies to millions of people.