The Disadvantages of the South During The Civil War In 1861 the United States was splitting apart. The South felt it was necessary to secede from the Union. There was no doubt that secession would provoke civil war. The South didn’t have many resources and had a lower population. There was the South’s weakness of Nationalism. The North had a more stable economy and strong leadership. The South never had a chance of winning the Civil War. Lincoln implied at his inaugural that he had no intention of interfering with slavery and indicated he wouldn’t challenge the secession of the southern states with military force.