GDG- Re: Defeat of AoP, Recognition by Britain

[Tom Ryan]

<<I've never researched the matter, but have read that one reason the "King
Cotton" rational failed was that at the time the war started, cotton in
Britain was in ample supply.  And, if need be, new supplies could be
obtained elsewhere, such as India.  And while Britian mills did reduce
production, it was not so much due to a lack of raw material, as the fact
that finished cloth had become a glut on the market.  Cotton did not provide
the south with nearly the leverage they tought it would.>>

My recollection is that the supply was ample for some time, but eventually
dwindled to the point of real economic hardship in the manufacturing
districts.  After a time they began to adapt by turning to other products
such as silk.

I got the impression that the issue surrounding recognition or no
recognition was more political and social rather than economic.  Whether or
not to support a country that promoted slavery was the key question.

Tom Ryan