Great Britain and the American Civil War

Great Britain and the American Civil War by Ephraim Douglass Adams

As the title indicates, this is analysis of the American Civil War from a British perspective. Britain abhorred slavery, but it also feared slave rebellions. Britain also required cotton for many British factories and had experience supporting people's self-determination, especially when it would benefit Britain economically. Britain had expected the south to retain independence. The north had not come out firmly against slavery. (There was a difficult balancing act that American politicians were trying to perform. They wanted to keep border states in the fold but not stripping them of their slaves, yet they also wanted to show their anti-slavery chops.) There are also various challenges in how America treated the south. Depending on the international treaty they were looking out, they may be internal rebels or an enemy force. There were concerns with blockades and other economic impacts. The British tried to be neutral towards the American belligerents. There were also concerns about having a united European front. Britain did not want to get involved in the conflict. Eventually slavery became the important part. The north emancipated slaves. The south had even tried a last-ditch effort to get Europe to their side by potentially eliminated slavery. The book is quite long with copious footnotes. I wonder how the world would be different if the south retained independence? Was Lincoln's goal of keeping union together worth it? Would the US have been such a great power? How would the world wars been impacted?