Why is History Useful? What happened during the 1940s and why did the two opposing political factions of the Civil War escalate their confrontation, which developed into an armed and bloody conflict?

How did they make sense of the reality of that time and how did they perceive their opponents? How does the Civil War affect us today and those around us?

This book is a journey into a difficult past for which there are conflicting memories corresponding to conflicting identities. It is an attempt to narrate both the basic facts (which are undisputed by either side as having occurred) and their different interpretations in a simple manner.

At the same time, it is an invitation for reflection, introspection, and critical analysis of the certainties and images we have both about ourselves and about others.