The cost of the war was higher for the South.
Social Structures:
Before the war, the social structure of the South included the white, slave-owning, property-owning white male on the top, followed by the white, property-owning white male, followed by the white women of the society, and then the property-less white male, and finally the slaves. This structure was used specifically to help keep order within the plantations, as those who grow up in such a order would likely stick to it. After the war, the structure was destroyed because of the slaves being freed, which meant that their social structure was changed.
Political Structures:
Before the war, the South had a comparable power to the North, as they found ways to pack Congress with the 3/5th compromise, which allowed 3/5 of a slave to count as a person, which in turn can determine how much people are inside the House of Representatives. However, after breaking away, they first directly lost access to Congress, and after the war, they lost the 3/5th compromise, effectively putting them back to the beginning of having a North-dominating government.
Economic Structures:
The South relied heavily on exportation, specifically tobacco at first to European countries due to the heavy smoking there and the perfect climate & weather to farm tobacco. However, soon the tobacco industry started to fall apart, and with the rise of industrialization, the South turned to farming specifically cotton & other cash crops. However, with them only farming for cash (essentially), they had little put into industry (which was extensively found in the North), leading to a smaller manufacturing output as compared to the North. They relied heavily on imports throughout the war, and capturing Northern equipment. In the following years of the war, the South was essentially razed to the ground (Sherman's March to the Sea is a extremely good example), and they had to essentially rebuild, and without their money-making products, they had a hard time.
Military Structures:
The South already had a smaller population, which led to a smaller army-ratio as compared to the North. In the beginning however, they had better military leaders, such as Stone-wall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, to name a few, which helped them to get decisive wins in the beginning. However, better military tactics is only one of many in which the South needs to take care of. Failure to supply their troops with adequate amounts of equipments and their physical needs meant that they could not win a long, over-drawn war.
The South definitely had a weaker side, and the effects of the war was much more heavily influential on the side of the South. As most of the war was fought in the South, the effects of the war was clearly seen there. Coupled with the loss, the major changes would definitely be in the South.
