Ways and Means

In "Ways and Means," journalist Roger Lowenstein chronicles the transformative financial strategies employed by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, revealing how these efforts reshaped the U.S. government. Faced with a national crisis and an empty treasury, Lincoln leveraged the war to centralize authority, enact progressive reforms, and create a proactive federal government that engaged in taxation, infrastructure development, and education. As the Union established financial stability, contrasting sharply with the Confederate economy's collapse, Lowenstein illustrates the pivotal role of financial policies in determining the war's outcome and the nation's evolution. This insightful account sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of American history, emphasizing the crucial link between finance and governance in a time of turmoil.