How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good

by Steve Phillips

The bestselling author and national political commentator pulls no punches on what America needs to do to strengthen its multiracial democracy

Steve Phillips’s first book, Brown Is the New White, helped shift the national conversation around race and electoral politics, earning a spot on the New York Times and Washington Postbestseller lists and launching Phillips into the upper ranks of trusted observers of the nation’s changing demographics and their implications for our political future.

Now, in How We Win the Civil War, Phillips charts the way forward for progressives and people of color after four years of Trump, arguing that Democrats must recognize the nature of the fight we’re in, which is a contest between democracy and white supremacy left unresolved after the Civil War. We will not overcome, Philip writes, until we govern as though we are under attack—until we finally recognize that the time has come to finish the conquest of the Confederacy and all that it represents.

With his trademark blend of political analysis and historical argument, Phillips lays out razor-sharp prescriptions for 2022 and beyond, from increasing voter participation and demolishing racist immigration policies to reviving the Great Society programs of the 1960s—all of them geared toward strengthening a new multiracial democracy and ridding our politics of white supremacy, once and for all.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Race, Anti Racist, Audiobook, Social Change

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2022

About the author

Steve Phillips is a national political leader, bestselling author, and columnist. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority and the newly released national bestselling book How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good.

He is a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and an opinion contributor to The New York Times. He is also the host of “Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips,” a color-conscious podcast on politics. He is the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics and the multicultural progressive New American Majority.

Phillips is a graduate of Stanford University and University of California College of the Law, San Francisco and practiced civil rights and employment law for many years. Phillips has appeared on multiple national radio and television networks including NBC, CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title refers to finally winning the Civil War of 1861-65. Confederates and their descendants have continued fighting since that war was ostensibly won by Federal forces, using these pillars of strategy:
(1) never give an inch
(2) ruthlessly rewrite the laws
(3) distort public opinion
(4) silently sanction terrorism
(5) play the long game.

He also cites examples in 5 states to show how anti-racists can win the war against white supremacy with the following strategies:
(1) invest in level 5 leaders
(2) build strong civic engagement organizations
(3) develop detailed data-driven plans
(4) play the long game

Lots of history, lots of case studies - very concrete and pragmatic guidance from a brilliant thinker (with a snarky sense of humor).

[Cathy Rouhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting for a long time for Mr. Phillips’ follow up to the transformative Brown is the New White, and How We Win the Civil War does not disappoint. In fact, Phillips’ incisive, data-driven narrative is refreshing and reassuring among a field of political commentators who bring no quantitative analysis to their opinions. As a white woman on a journey to recognize and correct the harms of colonization and white supremacy, I found myself feeling incredibly optimistic about the possibility of true democracy, justice and equity in my lifetime. This confidence rests in the leadership of the women and organizations Phillips highlights in this book – many of whom America does not yet know but should. If you’re looking for a real-talk education along the lines of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste alongside outstanding storytelling, pick this up now and don’t put it down until you’ve figured out what you will do to help end the Civil War for good.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for everyone who wants to thrive in a multiracial democracy committed to a more just, equal, and humane society.

[Cathy Rouhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting for a long time for Mr. Phillips’ follow up to the transformative Brown is the New White, and How We Win the Civil War does not disappoint. In fact, Phillips’ incisive, data-driven narrative is refreshing and reassuring among a field of political commentators who bring no quantitative analysis to their opinions. As a white woman on a journey to recognize and correct the harms of colonization and white supremacy, I found myself feeling incredibly optimistic about the possibility of true democracy, justice and equity in my lifetime. This confidence rests in the leadership of the women and organizations Phillips highlights in this book – many of whom America does not yet know but should. If you’re looking for a real-talk education along the lines of Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste alongside outstanding storytelling, pick this up now and don’t put it down until you’ve figured out what you will do to help end the Civil War for good.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Phillips book is a handbook on how to turn red states blue - broadly speaking. But what makes it more interesting than that is the historical context. The book is written in two-parts. The first part traces the history of the US from the civil war to the present showing how persistent the influence of the confederacy has been, despite their loss of the war. He makes a very persuasive argument for the proposition that for a majority of white Americans, the dominance of white people is more important that democracy - witness the 2020 election and aftermath. But he also point out that the majority of voting public is actually people of color plus whites and that when people of color are added in with white allies, that is the new majority - and the job is to tap this group to see that they govern our political future. He shows how that has happened in a number of places including Arizona and Virginia.

[Heather Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with this author's main premise - that in many ways, the Civil War is still happening, and many of the problems the United States has are related to the continuation of that conflict.

I didn't care for the way it was written, though, and as I read, I was increasingly not sure about the ways this author was using his research. It seemed to lack depth. When I got to a serious misreading of "Huckleberry Finn," I called it quits.

[Seth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first half of this book is lefty rage bait written in the usual facebook rant style. The second half is basic community organizing/political strategy. And the big reveal is that he thinks the Civil War will finally be won when the Democrats take Texas. There is nothing new here. The only thing interesting about this book is that it's a perfect example of the Richard Rohr quote, “We all become a well-disguised mirror image of anything that we fight too long or too directly. That which we oppose determines the energy and frames the questions after a while. Most frontal attacks on evil just produce another kind of evil in yourself, along with a very inflated self-image to boot.” Phillips argues that the Civil War has continued through the politics of race. He then advocates playing the politics of race. He calls out racism on the right, and then goes on a mini-tirade about how people of color didn't earn their positions of power (the ones who disagree with him, of course). He criticizes the right for exploiting the fear and anger of voters for their benefit, and then dedicates a whole section of his book to how to exploit the fear and anger of voters for his side's benefit. He is everything he hates. So by the end of the book, having metaphorically listened to this guy scream into a mirror for hours, I was just left feeling a little sad. If you actually want to read a book about how to make our country a better one, I'd recommend Eboo Patel's We Need to Build.

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

steve phillips carries in electoral politics, and this book was a compelling piece of opposition research of the right. its core argument, that confederates never stopped fighting the civil war, is salient and persuasive. i learned a lot about how confederates and white supremacists weaponize policy, voter suppression, and the political process to steal resources from Black people and other people of color. second half of the book outlines phillips’ “liberation battle plan” of the following :
- invest in level five leaders
- build strong civic engagement organizations
- develop detailed, data driven plans
- play the long game

he cites a june jordan argument on the role of strong organizations, and also had some interesting engagement with organizational development theory through work such as the text “prisms of the people.” he then dives into several states as case studies in this liberation strategy. i wanted more nitty gritty details here. this book very much is investigating electoral struggles as the site of change (think stacey abrams, etc). i learned about the potential and limitations of those tools as he has a different politic than me and my community but still some helpful gems.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a crucial book for everyone who better hopes to understand the history of the U.S., especially as it pertains to the racism that (as 2016 especially has taught us) continues to this day. Phillips' main thesis is that the Civil War never really ended, and he details exactly how the former Confederate states especially have fought tooth and nail to prevent people of color from having an equal voice in our democracy.

As others have mentioned, the book is split into two parts, the story of the ongoing Civil War and the case studies of some progressive movements that have been successful. I think the second part actually works well, because it is so easy to feel angry and overwhelmed at the white supremacist leaders and citizens who continuously attack what is supposed to be the most fundamental of American ideals: democracy.

This book was not as hard to read as too many nonfiction books are, because Phillips has a witty and conversational style of writing that helps offer a bit of levity to even this heavy subject matter. How We Win the Civil War is well-researched, well-argued, and well worth your time.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history of white supremacy and the remedies for it. The book is divided into two sections. The first is a somewhat depressing recap of the sordid history of the U.S when it comes to race- regrettably, much of it continues to this day and was galvanized by the emergence of tRump. The second half of the book, highlights success stories- communities that have turned things around- Georgia, Arizona, San Diego CA. Virginia to name a few- largely due to the efforts and passion of Level 5 Leaders, a term coined by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great. I'm not quite as optimistic as the author as to how far along we are, especially in a place like Texas, but it's apparent that demographics are on our side. Every day, the old white tRumpers are dying off and being replaced by Generation Z voters. They won't stand for the nonsense put forward by Confederates (the term Phillips uses to describe Republicans) and the Confederates know it. It's why I think the current political machinations are the last gasp of the Republican Party before they're relegated to the ash heap of history.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I persist in my view that most, if not all, non-fiction books could be articles. This one teeters right on the edge. There are entire unnecessary paragraphs, if not pages, of exposition. And yet Phillips has a compelling thesis and rightly dedicates chapters to key elements of it. Like Caste, this book gives you a new language and framing to see our messy country for what it is. The idea that the Confederacy quite literally still exists and the same playbook is being used is not a gimmick--he backs it up in a very compelling way that is deeply alarming as well.

I think it helped that I got this book at a conference where I heard him speak on the same topic so I had a bit of color and energy to bring to the reading and could hear his voice a bit in my head which alleviates dryness. But like with most of my non-fiction reads, this one took me forever to get through.

[John D. Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

We’ll written, insightful, and actionable

This is one of the best of the many books I’ve read over the past couple of years on ways that the American society has failed to achieve its promise for a great many of the people who live in this country. Phillips writes with an engaging style and he describes and expands upon not only problems that we face but, also, solutions we might enact. I highly recommend this book.

[Omikun · Rating 5 out of 5]

The civil war never ended. The confederates are still fighting for white supremacy and Donald Trump has tapped into that political vein. I always suspected something was up when the political rhetoric from the right suddenly jumped through the roof with Barak Obama's campaign in '08. But it's hard to believe it until I read this book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I liked the book. I was most interested in the sections about the history of white supremacist groups and their activity in (mostly) the Southern states.

I was not as interested in the case studies of Virginia, Georgia, etc. but they may be interesting to some readers.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need more books like this as it educates. Great examples and interesting perspectives. A good read.

[Samieyra Standish · Rating 4 out of 5]

But not finished reading yet but when I do I'll update you so far seems pretty good

[John]

How We Win the Civil War will be discussed at next Building Bridges Book Club -

https://www.buildingbridgesforamerica...

https://www.mobilize.us/buildbridges4...

[Jim Cavenaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Phillips gets it!

How We Win the Civil War is worth reading if you care about the need in our country for progressive laws guaranteeing Reproductive Justice, medical care for all and safe housing as well.