Why did England not help the south in the civil war?

Answer 1

They didn't want to be involved with a losing side. If the south won some strategic battles, which indicated that they might win the war, Britain might have helped. France did the same thing during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1983); American's won an important victory, and it appeared the American's might win the war, consequently, France joined the Americans against Britain.

Answer

There was some brief support for the South when a Northern navy ship boarded an English postal ship and arrested (or kidnapped) two Southern ambassadors who were going to Europe to try and get help from England and France. Since at the time slavery was actually permitted in both North and South in some places, the North did not necessarily have the moral high ground in England's eyes although it did have far less slavery than the South. The issue of the boarding the Postal ship tainted the North for a short time, but the North eventually let the ambassadors go in a way that left both the North and England with their dignity. The ambassadors had no luck getting support from England or France, and the Emancipation Proclamation which freed any remaining slaves gave the North the moral high ground. Since the South did not follow suit and free their own slaves, England and France could not justify helping them. Note that England and France had both taken part in slavery themselves in the past, by this time they had ended slavery and no longer wanted to be associated with it.

Answer 2

France did not get involved in the war B/C they saw this as Americas problem not theirs. Britain did get involved, aiding the south hopping they would win so they could reconquer weakened America.

Answer 3

They were more sympathetic to the South.

They saw the USA as an economic rival and were quite pleased to see it divided. In 1862, they came close to giving the Confederacy the iinternational recognition it wanted.

But after the Emancipation Proclamation, Britain could not support the South without looking pro-slavery.

Answer 4

The Confederacy was never able to establish itself as a separate nation instead of a rebelling faction. After the publication of the Emancipation Proclamation, the North claimed the moral initiative. Both France and Britain had already outlawed slavery and could not condone it without publicly acknowledging their hypocrisy.

Answer 5

Because Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation. After that, they couldn't have aided the Confederacy without looking pro-slavery.

Answer 6

The British had abolished slavery earlier, and to back the South would have been unpopular. They dealt with the need for cotton by growing their own in Egypt.