Final answer:
The North won the Civil War with substantial resources and effective leadership, but the South 'won' Reconstruction by re-establishing control and exerting racial dominance through Jim Crow laws following the war, despite federal efforts to integrate and protect the rights of freed slaves.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of how the North 'won the Civil War' yet the South 'won Reconstruction' touches on the complex aftermath of the American Civil War. The North prevailed in the Civil War due to its larger population, industrial capabilities, and effective mobilization of men and supplies, as well as the leadership of figures like President Abraham Lincoln.
These advantages ultimately allowed the Union forces to overcome the Confederate states, despite the South's strengths in military leadership and the benefits of fighting a defensive war.
However, during Reconstruction, although the Union won the war and enslaved individuals were emancipated, the social, economic, and political fabric of the South underwent only superficial changes. Initially, a strong federal presence in the South sought to reconstruct and integrate the former Confederate states into a rebuilt union and protect the rights of newly freed African Americans.
Over time, however, the Northern effort waned, and through a combination of Northern fatigue with Reconstruction, economic interests, and the rise of white supremacist organizations, the Southern states reasserted control over their local and state governments, effectively 'winning' the peace by reinforcing racial hierarchies and instituting Jim Crow laws, which persisted well into the 20th century.