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There's a school of thought,and it's still alive in a certain fringe of American scholarship,
有这么一种理论 至今仍活跃于美国学术界某些边缘地带
that the real cause, or immediate cause, of the Civil War was Lincoln.
此派观点为 美国内战的真正缘由 或说直接缘由 是为林肯
Now this argument is basically that Lincoln could have simply gently let
如今这一论点的基本思想是 林肯原本可以简单温和地
the South go, that he didn't need to force military action,
让南方各州脱离联邦 他无需采取强制性军事行动
that he could have backed away and continued to compromise,
他本可退让 继续和解
that Southerners were willing to compromise on this issue or that issue.
南方也愿意在种种问题上妥协
There is no evidence that the Confederate leadership, Jefferson Davis and his growing Cabinet,
无证据可表明联邦领导者 杰弗逊·戴维斯和他那庞大的内阁
were truly willing to compromise on any part of the expansion of slavery issue or anything else.
会诚心愿意和解 无论在奴隶制扩展的任一方面上 还是在其他任一议题上
Lincoln did not cause the Civil War.
林肯并未引发内战
What Lincoln did was create a situation where war was possible.
他所做的是创造了一个可能引起战争的环境
In other words, he was willing to risk war.
换而言之 林肯甘冒战争风险
He put the onus on the Confederacy. They fired the first shot.
他将责任踢给了联邦 挑起战端的是联邦
They weren't willing to compromise either.
他们同样无妥协之意
While blame for the war might lie with both Lincoln and Jefferson Davis,
虽说挑起战争的骂名可能由林肯和杰佛逊·戴维斯同时承担
neither side in 1861 foresaw the calamity they were about to unleash.
但在1861年 没有哪一方预见到他们将招致何种灾难
No-one in the North or the South could have imagined the kind of war it would be.
不论南北 无人能料想到这场战争的模样
The military leaders on both sides didn't quite understand the significance of the technological changes.
双方的军事领导者都对技术变革的重要意义缺乏足够认识
