# What would a modern left/right American Civil War look like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 12, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207 "2025-02-12T00:33:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/81 "2025-03-01T18:33:17Z")
The only people hoping for a war are those who don’t understand the horrors it brings. They think war is like a video game or shitty superhero movie. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/82 "2025-03-01T19:14:32Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > There are a lot of possibilities before we get that far gone. And there are possibilities that preclude that situation. That could be the long term outcome after other types of conflict. Obviously, I disagree. No one from America is going to stop him, we just reelected him and look at the damage he’s done. America needs to be stopped and it clearly won’t be Americans doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/83 "2025-03-01T19:26:39Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > What I hope happens is that America fractures during the coming global war, that some blue state governments refuse to go along with our invasion of Canda and that the forces fighting the America/Russia axis seek to promote Americas internal division by offering seceding states the chance to join the fight against the axis as independent states and/or becoming part of Canada. Essentially, northern US would become West Germany. In a global war what happens is that industrial civilization collapses and the survivors scrounge for what they need to survive in the radioactive ruins. _No where_ will be like West Germany anymore. There won’t be an America, because there won’t be any major nations at all. Just local warlords and kings and tribes. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/84 "2025-03-01T21:06:28Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Obviously, I disagree. No one from America is going to stop him, we just reelected him and look at the damage he’s done. America needs to be stopped and it clearly won’t be Americans doing it. I think that’s a bit pessimistic. Maybe not so pessimistic I can comfortably rule it out. I have hope that not all the Republicans are down for an actual shooting war. An economic war of tariffs, absolutely - shoot yourself in the foot and blame everyone else. But an a actual shooting war with Canada? I think even some Republicans would balk at that. But everything is contingent on what happens in the interim. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/85 "2025-03-02T12:55:49Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I have hope that not all the Republicans are down for an actual shooting war. It doesn’t matter, that’s not how it works. Even in more democratic nations than the US you aren’t going to get 100% support for anything, war included. What matters is if _enough of the ones in power_ want it. And even if they aren’t interested in a war they aren’t going to be concerned about what happens to _Canada;_ that’s the “sin of empathy”. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/86 "2025-03-02T15:15:58Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It doesn’t matter, that’s not how it works. Even in more democratic nations than the US you aren’t going to get 100% support for anything, war included. But it does mean a majority in Congress opposed to a shooting war. Then they could assert their power and act against Trump. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/87 "2025-03-02T15:48:53Z")
One scenario: 1. Rural areas start terrorizing cities 2. Police and military step in to impose order 3. Surprise, some of the police and military are also white supremacist terrorists, and get in a few licks of their own 4. Local population starts to resist & sabotage 5. Certain neighborhoods are designated as full of “illegals” or “terrorists” and get burned out or flattened A proper industrialized civil war can really only happen if it’s entire economies vs entire economies, not cities vs. rural areas. If it’s not that, it’ll something more low-intensity (but very serious) It’s hard to predict anything without knowing which way the military breaks. And it’ll be a different story state by state. The military will secure strategic airports, seaports, and transportation chokepoints. If the military backs the rural faction then it will be urban warfare and martial law in the cities. On the other hand if the military backs the urban faction, then rural areas simply get frozen out of commerce until they’re out of food and supplies. The so-called “family farms” are factories that can’t feed large populations without regular inputs from industry and commerce (fuel, parts, fertilizer, etc). ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207/88 "2025-03-02T21:39:26Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > But it does mean a majority in Congress opposed to a shooting war. Then they could assert their power and act against Trump. When they aren’t willing to do so even over Trump turning them into an irrelevancy? No, they aren’t going to bestir themselves over foreigners if they aren’t even willing to protect themselves and their own power. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-a-modern-left-right-american-civil-war-look-like/1014207.md?page=4)