Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1994

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

History

Major Professor

Russel D. Buhite

Committee Members

Paul Bergeron, John Muldowney, Norman B. Ferris

Abstract

This study focuses on the efforts of the Confederate States of America to obtain recognition from the community of nations. The study provides a comprehensive examination and synthesis of the existing literature, as well as reexamination of the original sources. Confederate diplomacy was overwhelmingly directed toward the British and French, but an active dialogue was maintained with the old Union in an effort to reach a separation agreement for the Confederate States. Confederate attempts to create an economic depression in the industrialized nations by withholding cotton failed to intimidate or coerce the Europeans into recognition. The reactionary ideology of Confederate nationalism is reflected in the Confederate diplomats and the strategies they employed. The Europeans were committed to a balance of power and remained predominantly concerned with European affairs, leaving the American war to the Americans. Anti-slavery sentiments in Europe were insufficient to produce open support for the Union, while a cotton shortage failed to induce intervention on behalf of the Confederates. It was the complexity of realpolitik, imperialism, and the overwhelming preoccupation of Europeans with the affairs of the Continent that precluded intervention in the American war. With the failure of the William Yancey mission in 1861, the Confederate State Department appointed James Mason to serve permanently in London and John Slidell to a similar post in Paris. Despite the best efforts of these diplomats and the support of a powerful and influential British lobby, Great Britain and France remained neutral throughout the Civil War. Under the direction of Secretary of State William Henry Seward, Union diplomacy was as successful as the Confederate initiatives were unsuccessful. Seward conducted diplomacy through an existing network of ministers and consuls, while a series of Confederate Secretaries of State struggled with poor communications and limited access to official diplomatic circles. The failure of Southern diplomats to appreciate the diplomatic and political realities in Europe, combined with an unrealistic commitment to economic leverage, resulted in their failure. Although the Southern crusade ultimately failed on the battlefield, the inability of its diplomats to obtain recognition contributed to the fall of the Confederacy.

Download
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS