In the past, foreign intervention has been the key to having a successful revolution. Knowing that this was key and that cotton was highly regarded in the British economy, the South thought that they could persuade the British into thinking that if they went to war with the North, cotton production would dwindle, leading to the collapse of the their economy. However, this idea by the south was under-developed in part that they had not realized the surplus amount of cotton that Britain already obtained and the fact the they were not the only producers of cotton in the world. This poor thinking by the south is considered to be one of the factors of their loss of the civil war. .
The south believed that their plan to con the British into thinking that they were necessary to their economy seemed to be a logical way for the British to take their side at war, but what the south did not take into consideration was that for the previous three years (1857-1860) they had been exporting vast amounts of cotton to Britain thinking that they were using it all up as they got it. The British being smart saved their surplus cotton they have been receiving over the previous three years for times like this when they knew their constant import of cotton would vanish. With all this excess cotton there was no need for Britain to import anymore cotton from the south, thus ruining the plan the south had for the British to join them at war. Not having to join the war was great for Britain because the economy and morale of the people would fall in event that if they had joined the war. This series of events were felt to be too good for Britain and this was true because their was a cotton famine after about a year and half of no importing of cotton. .
Many hungry cotton operatives were thrown out of work and had no place to go. Fortunately, President Lincoln had passed the slave-emancipation policy so the "wage slaves"" of Britain were not going to demand a war on the US southern states.
