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Britain and France.

The British increasingly saw the USA as a fast-growing economic rival, and were not displeased to see it divided. Also, some of the older Tories still thought the American Revolution was a bit of cheek, and looked forward to a bit of 'trouble in Paradise'.

The French wanted influence in Mexico, and it would suit them if there was a new nation, pro-French, in between Mexico and the USA. (The French were taking their lead from the British - "We will, if you will".)

The Confederates had sent their representatives to London and Paris, to lobby for official recognition. And in the Summer of 1862, as Lee drove the Union army back across Virginia, the Confederacy was gaining credibility, and the British were close to recognising the Davis government.

A deeply worried Lincoln wanted to head them off by declaring the war to be a crusade against the evils of slavery (which it hadn't been), so that they could not intervene without looking pro-slavery themselves. But he could not do this while he was losing the war, or it would look like a desperate measure. Only after the unexpected Union victory at Antietam in September '62 was he able to do this, by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

So in the end, Britain and France had to stay out of it.

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Q: Who were the allies of the confederate states of America?
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