alternatehistory.com

In 1860, 75% of the exports from what would become the CSA were from cotton. We all know the story: as soon as the US Civil War started, textile manufacturers in Britain and elsewhere scrambled to find more cotton. Egypt, India and future Uzbekistan filled the need.

Pre-war, the cost per pound of cotton was between 10 and 15 cents in New Orleans; post-war, given the increased supply, it stayed at or below 10 cents per pound until WW1. Pre and post war, it cost between 10 and 15 cents per pound to grow cotton in the south (depending on transportation costs and soil productivity), so cotton farmers lived on the edge of insolvency after the war.

So how do the successful CSA timelines deal with the revenue problem? The CSA still needs a standing army, if only to keep millions of slaves from running away to the Union. But without cotton to provide tax revenue, I just don't see how it works. If you enact an export tax, it just pushes the prices down further. The way I see it, it won't just be the slaves running north after the war.

Some historical prices are here:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/econ/cipr/cole-historical-data.html
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