The outcome of the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was a significant political shift that ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. Lincoln, representing the Republican Party, won the presidency with a platform that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories. His election prompted several Southern states to secede from the Union, believing Lincoln's administration would threaten their interests and way of life. This secession led to the formation of the Confederate States of America and sparked the Civil War, fundamentally altering the course of American history.