A good number of European historians have had interesting views on the War for Southern Independence. They are not born with Yankee self-righteousness or raised with pious Lincoln propaganda. With some cultural distance from the matter, they display fair understanding for the Confederate cause.
Many British writers during the war of 1861-65 saw it for what it was—the federal government’s invasion and conquest of a people for economic dominance. Lord Acton, historian of liberty, saw clearly that the long-range effects of Confederate defeat meant a setback for ordered liberty and constitutional government.
Two of the best books about the South written in the 20th century are by the Italian historian Raimondo Luraghi (1921-2012). Fortunately, both have been well-translated into English: The Rise and Fall of the Plantation South (1976) and A History of the Confederate Navy (1997). Some other of Luraghi’s work remains untranslated as far as I can tell.
Dominique Venner (1935-2013) was a prolific, original, and insightful historian on many different subjects. Unlike most historians he had real experience as a soldier. He was associated with the European New Right.
Two of his books beg for translation. Gettysburg (Editions du Rocher, 1995) and Le Blanc Soleil des Vaincus (Via Romana, 2015). The work titled “Gettysburg” is not solely about the battle but is a 322-pp. extended history of the War. The subtitle of the other book suggests that it is a study of the War of Secession, 1607-1865.
Rendering these works into English would be a hard piece of work but a great contribution to Southern history.
The views expressed at AbbevilleInstitute.org are not necessarily those of the Abbeville Institute.
