LogFAQs > #970027187

PMarth2002 posted...

Confederacy tried to gain allies in europe, but diplomatic/economic issues kept European powers out of the war. France didn't want to risk war with Prussia, and Britain didn't want to risk war with the union.

The Emancipation Proclamation is what kept European powers out of the war. Both Britain and France were inclined to support the Confederacy, but Lincoln deliberately emphasized the slavery issue to guilt Europeans by pointing out that they'd be supporting a pro-slavery nation when they themselves had outlawed slavery.

In the early parts of the war Lincoln was actually willing to compromise with the South over the slavery issue (in spite of being an abolitionist himself, he considered preserving the Union to be a far more important thing than freeing the slaves, and said multiple times he would have given in to Southern demands if it meant keeping the peace), but the success at Gettysburg (which was kind of ridiculous if you know the full story behind it) allowed him to reiterate the Northern cause as Emancipation as a major PR move, which led to Europe backing off support.

Prussia and the German Confederation probably would have sided with the North either with or without French or British involvement, but it was more concerned with its own internal issues and goals (which eventually led to full German unification) at the time.