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Difficulty: EasyCivil War Military Mobilization and Strategy

"We have only to shut off our cotton from the European markets for a few months, and the mills of England and France will stop. Their governments will be forced by their own starving populations to intervene in our favor and break the Northern blockade."
— Southern newspaper editorial, 1861

Which of the following was a primary goal of the Confederate strategy described in the excerpt?

  1. A
    To transition the Southern economy from agricultural production to industrial manufacturing
  2. To pressure European powers into diplomatic recognition and support for the ConfederacyAnswer
  3. C
    To force the Union government to accept popular sovereignty in the Western territories
  4. D
    To form a military alliance with Latin American nations to combat the Union navy

Answer

To pressure European powers into diplomatic recognition and support for the Confederacy
The correct answer is correct because the Confederacy pursued a strategy known as 'cotton diplomacy.' Southern leaders believed that Great Britain and France were so dependent on Southern cotton for their textile mills that they would eventually be forced to intervene in the Civil War on behalf of the Confederacy, break the Union blockade, and grant official diplomatic recognition to the Confederate government.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the excerpt to identify the core tactic being proposed by the Southern author.
The author advocates withholding cotton from European markets to force England and France to intervene and break the Union blockade.
Identifying the central argument in the stimulus is necessary to connect it to specific Confederate goals.
2
Connect this tactic to the broader historical military and diplomatic strategy of the Confederacy.
This strategy is known as 'cotton diplomacy,' which attempted to leverage Europe's economic dependency on Southern raw cotton.
Placing the excerpt within its proper historical context helps clarify the Confederacy's strategic objectives.
3
Select the statement that best aligns with the intended outcome of this strategy.
The goal of securing European diplomatic recognition and military intervention matches the author's hope that European governments would intervene in their favor.
This directly answers what the primary goal of the described strategy was.

Key Concept

Confederate military strategy and cotton diplomacy
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Civil War Military Mobilization and Strategy

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