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Question: Explain why Britain finally decided against intervention on behalf of the Confederacy!.!?
In what ways was Britain helpful to the south anyway!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Firstly,slavery was seen as abhorrent to the British government and people,so there was a moral obstacle!.Intervention would probably have cost the government a lot of votes at the next election!.
Secondly,serious shortcomings in the performance and organization of the British army in the 1850s (Crimean War,Indian Mutiny) led the government to institute a thorough review (the Cardwell Reforms) which were not instituted till 1868!.Thus,it was impractical for Britain to go to war anyway unless its own interests were directly threatened!.
Finally,the British government thought it doubtful that the Confederacy could win,so were unwilling to invest blood and treasure in a losing cause!.
Britain did help in a number of ways: trade with the Confederacy continued,despite the Northern blockade,and a lot of arms were sold!.The government also helped organize a huge loan to the Confederate government,and allowed the building of Confederate warships by British firms in British dockyards!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

At the time of the American Civil War, Canada did not yet exist as a federated nation!. Instead, the territory consisted of the United Province of Canada (modern southern Ontario, southern Quebec and Labrador), the six other remaining colonies of British North America and crown territory administered by the Hudson's Bay Company!. The United Kingdom (and therefore its North American colonies) was officially neutral for the duration of the American Civil War and sympathies in the nation were divided!. Despite this, tensions between Britain and the North were high due to incidents on the seas, such as the Trent Affair and the Confederate commissioning of the CSS Alabama from Britain!. If the conflict had continued to escalate and Britain had entered the war, Canada would probably have been the first target of Union forces!. During the war, Britain thus reinforced its garrisons in Canada!. Many Canadians also felt the smaller, weaker United States that would result from the separation of the South would be a positive development

At the same time, however, Canadians were almost universally opposed to slavery, and Canada had long been the terminus of the Underground Railroad!. Close economic and cultural links across the long border also encouraged Canadian sympathy towards the North!.

http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Canada_and_!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Several reasons! King cotton failed the South as a tool of wartime diplomacy!.
-Britain held surpluses of cotton when the war began
-Textile workers in Britain favoured the North
-The North sent captured cotton to Britain
-Britain developed alternative supplies of cotton in Egypt and India
-Britain feared losing Northern grain shipments
-Battle of Antietam (arguable)
-Slavery (Uncle Tom was a best seller) (Intervening on behalf of the confederacy would have been a moral compromise for the sympathetic British people)Www@QuestionHome@Com

That's kind of an interesting question!. It's often thought that Britain just ignored America after losing the war of independance!.!.!.


Both Britain and France were on the verge of supporting the Confederacy, presumably for their own interests!. I guess you must have heard all this in the lessons you are supposed to be using in your education!.!.!.

http://wiki!.answers!.com/Q/Why_did_Britai!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It would have served their political interests, but the
'slavery' issue was too unpalatable!.
(They had just abolished it themselves!.)
They did supply some arms!.Www@QuestionHome@Com