THIRD PRIZE THIRD PRIZE The Origins of the Second US Civil War

Abstract

The paper, “The Origins of the Second U.S. Civil War”, provides a hypothetical assessment of what might follow a disputed 2024 American election, and outlines three factors that would facilitate a fall into civil violence in such a scenario.  Donald Trump has expediated a deterioration of the American political environment, and has targeted a specific subset of American citizenry.  This subset has a rich militaristic tradition, and this paper argues that they might be instrumental in the devolution of future US politics.  The power of the American military establishment has greatly increased post-WWII, and this paper also argues that the increased institutional pull held by the armed forces might similarly contribute to the outbreak of civil violence.