Book Review: The First Pariah State: How The Proslavery Confederacy Menaced the World

The First Pariah State: How The Proslavery Confederacy Menaced the World.  By Robert E. Bonner.  Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2026.  Hardcover, 240 pp. $39.99.

Reviewed by Aaron Stoyack

Robert E. Bonner’s The First Pariah State demonstrates that the Confederacy’s diplomatic efforts were hampered chiefly by its position on slavery. The peculiar institution was becoming extinct across the globe, and comparatively few wished to taint their hands by supporting the rebellion. Just as some saw Union victory as success of republican government, others saw a Confederate victory as a success of the institution of slavery.

Bonner stipulates that today’s concept of a pariah or rogue state was not in use at the time. Even in the modern era, there are no universal qualifications for this label. Although European powers often did not recognize the governments of “uncivilized” countries, this is not a term that they could apply to the Confederacy.

Despite publicly proclaiming that the Confederate States of America would demonstrate the success of slaveocracy, CSA government officials feared diplomatic ramifications in private. Some Europeans hoped the Confederacy would ban slavery after the war. The Davis administration rejected this, winning fans at home but making enemies overseas.

The need to placate the homefront often clashed with diplomatic ventures. Aware of this, Northerners made a concerted effort to publish Confederate government speeches that reflected continued support for slavery and have them delivered to interested parties overseas.

Additional factors led to further alienation. Confederate privateers captured foreign ships and thousands of prisoners. Many Europeans saw the government’s use of scripture to justify its causes and existence as heretical to Christianity’s true ideals.

To support his argument, Bonner pulls heavily from European newspapers to gauge public opinion. Correspondence between officials is another chief source of information, demonstrating a more cooperative relationship expressed toward the Federal government. These sources lead to an uncommon perspective, examining more of how the South was viewed overseas than any specific initiatives they attempted.

This work slots into a body of academic literature examining the Confederacy’s statesmanship. King Cotton Diplomacy (2008) and Blue and Gray Diplomacy (2010) set the stage for more focused studies such as Between King Cotton and Queen Victoria (2025). Bonner’s book falls more in line with the former two as a comprehensive study rather than holding a specific focus on a certain empire. Nevertheless, examination is constrained to European nations. Little to any attention is given to relations with countries in South America or elsewhere.

Six chapters divide varying aspects affecting international perception. The positions of the Confederate government, privateering, religion, and international law are all given careful study. The last chapter examines how the Confederacy is remembered on the international stage to this day, from statues to the big screen. It is quite the departure from the preceding subject matter, but makes for a nice conclusion.

The First Pariah State offers insight into how the actions of the seceding states were received in Europe. Bonner showcases how the Confederacy’s inherent values, coupled with wartime measures of necessity, significantly hampered its chances of gaining overseas support. Specific documentary examples are cited throughout, and the temptation to go down rabbit holes when introduced to new events is strong. Well-paced with chapters of around twenty to thirty pages, The First Pariah State can be a quick read or one that invites the reader to further explore certain topics. This makes a strong contribution to the growing body of work on Civil War diplomacy and offers a valuable outside-looking-in perspective.