<P> The Confederacy, such as President Jefferson Davis, believed from the beginning in "King Cotton": British dependence on cotton for its large textile industry would lead to diplomatic recognition and mediation or military intervention . The Confederates had not sent out agents ahead of time to ascertain if the King Cotton policy would be effective . Instead, by popular demand, not government action, shipments of cotton to Europe were ended in spring 1861 . When the Confederate diplomats arrived, they tried to convince British leaders that the US naval blockade was an illegal paper blockade . Historian Charles Hubbard writes: </P> <Dl> <Dd> "Davis left foreign policy to others in government and, rather than developing an aggressive diplomatic effort, tended to expect events to accomplish diplomatic objectives . The new president was committed to the notion that cotton would secure recognition and legitimacy from the powers of Europe . The men Davis selected as secretary of state and emissaries to Europe were chosen for political and personal reasons--not for their diplomatic potential . This was due, in part, to the belief that cotton could accomplish the Confederate objectives with little help from Confederate diplomats ." </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> "Davis left foreign policy to others in government and, rather than developing an aggressive diplomatic effort, tended to expect events to accomplish diplomatic objectives . The new president was committed to the notion that cotton would secure recognition and legitimacy from the powers of Europe . The men Davis selected as secretary of state and emissaries to Europe were chosen for political and personal reasons--not for their diplomatic potential . This was due, in part, to the belief that cotton could accomplish the Confederate objectives with little help from Confederate diplomats ." </Dd> <P> Hubbard added that Davis's policy was stubborn and coercive . The King Cotton strategy was resisted by the Europeans . Secretary of War Judah Benjamin and Secretary of the Treasury Christopher Memminger warned that cotton should be immediately exported to build up foreign credits . </P>

Role of great britain in the civil war