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[RZM]

61. Well that's a different issue

I guess wealth distribution and the aims of the North in the Civil War probably are related, but that's not something I can comment on. FWIW, I do know that the end of slavery wiped out many billions in assets in the South.

That's actually an interesting comparison with the ending of serfdom in Eastern Europe in the 19th century. In Russia, serfs were finally emancipated in 1861. But for a variety of reasons, the landowners participated in the process and the deal ended up being quite good for them and not so good for the serfs. In the US, the southern slaveowners chose to resist and as a result, they had no say in the final settlement and ended up getting nothing. Though of course they later rebounded with sharecropping, etc.

I would encourage anybody who's interested to check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Unfree-Labor-American-Slavery-Russian/dp/0674920988/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326865456&sr=8-1

It really is a classic that compares Russian serfdom and American slavery. It's a perfect example of the value of comparative studies. You can learn a lot more in books where two systems are contrasted than in a book that focuses on just one topic.

As for the business plot and FDR, it's not something I know that much about. But I do know that it didn't succeed, so we can at least be thankful for that and the fact that we're undefeated in the palace coup department . . . there are a whole lot of other countries that can't boast that.