This is a description you can use for literally everyone in history.
he was pretty dictatorial.
If you can name me one leader in a (civil) war who was less 'dictatorial', that'd be great.
He went out of his way to punish and instigate pre-war, and he actively went against past treaties and the Constitution to try to "keep the country together."
How? I like how the anti-Lincoln folks simultaneously bash him for supporting the amendment to guarantee slavery where it already existed (which wouldn't change anything), and also say that he was war-mongering.
I'm not here to wave a Confederate flag or anything
There's nothing wrong with that either. In fact, from a European POV, I'd have preferred that the Confederates had won, because we wouldn't have been subjugated under the yoke of a unified America with no regional rivals.
and friendly relations should have been attempted instead of a bloody civil war.
And he did, until the Confederates made the major mistake of attacking Fort Sumter. Even people who support the Confederates should admit that this was a major mistake.
Also, he was far from kind to black people, luring escaped slaves in with promises of freedom before drafting them to go back and fight, and the like.
Were they actually forced to fight?
Now, I admit to my biases, and this is certainly my very small government lolbertarian coming out
That I actually completely understand, although it is my understanding that there was not that much of a watershed in federal power after the Civil War. Hell, the Republicans could not even enforce civil rights in the south.
We can argue over whether or not Lincoln was justified, but I think he was pretty clearly a dictator.
That's fine to discuss, but let's stick to the topic. During World War II, Britain did not even hold elections, because.... there was a war going on. So it's pretty great to have elections in the middle of a (civil) war.
This is a description you can use for literally everyone in history.
If you can name me one leader in a (civil) war who was less 'dictatorial', that'd be great.
How? I like how the anti-Lincoln folks simultaneously bash him for supporting the amendment to guarantee slavery where it already existed (which wouldn't change anything), and also say that he was war-mongering.
There's nothing wrong with that either. In fact, from a European POV, I'd have preferred that the Confederates had won, because we wouldn't have been subjugated under the yoke of a unified America with no regional rivals.
And he did, until the Confederates made the major mistake of attacking Fort Sumter. Even people who support the Confederates should admit that this was a major mistake.
Were they actually forced to fight?
That I actually completely understand, although it is my understanding that there was not that much of a watershed in federal power after the Civil War. Hell, the Republicans could not even enforce civil rights in the south.
And I don't see what makes him a 'dictator'./
How about every one of them who decided to permit secession rather than fight a civil war in the first place?
That's fine to discuss, but let's stick to the topic. During World War II, Britain did not even hold elections, because.... there was a war going on. So it's pretty great to have elections in the middle of a (civil) war.
Not if you are arresting people for leading the opposition.
Compared to what? Not allowing elections. Is there any place that meets your standards?