Final answer:
The South experienced economic redevelopment post-Civil War with the rise of cities and a shift towards industrialization. Economic prosperity increased with the development of infrastructure and the growth of the middle class. However, regional disparities persisted with continued poverty in rural areas.
Step-by-step explanation:
The economic redevelopment in the South post-Civil War and Reconstruction was both complex and varied. Initially, across the South, the devastation of war meant that railroads, bridges, and factories needed rebuilding. Progressive taxation on lands began to challenge the old economic inequalities. Despite the hardships, voices calling for a New South emerged, advocating for a more diversified economy not solely dependent on cotton, which would combine tradition with industrial prosperity and egalitarian values.
During the post-World War II era, infrastructure development and an educated workforce paved the way for economic prosperity. Cities like Atlanta and Birmingham started to transform from agricultural dominance to an industrial economy, which, along with an expanding middle class, promoted urban growth and reduced the stigma of rural poverty.
However, despite economic gains in urban centers and the push for diversified economies, regional disparities remained, with areas such as the Appalachian South and the Mississippi Delta struggling with high unemployment and poverty. Yet urbanization, driven in part by northern migration to cities including Atlanta and Charlotte, has catalyzed pockets of prosperity and helped shift the South's position within the United States economy.