What if the North received help from Mexico in the Civil War

Anaxagoras

Banned
Lincoln has nothing to gain and much to lose by asking a foreign power to actively support the Union against the Confederacy. You have to call in help from other countries when you're fighting against another nation, not when you're trying to repress an internal rebellion. Asking for help undermines his political position.
 
Yeah I can see a declaration of neutrality and token attempts at doing things just not to rock the boat in a slightly more cohesive Mexico OTL. Juarez (or whoever) could plead difficulties and the US wouldn't really be able to do anything about it.

True. I think Mexico would be more amenable to attempts at persuading them not to help the Confederacy than Britain or France would be, though--if nothing else, they have more to worry about in the long run. It wouldn't really be foreign intervention as such, but there could be a bit more activity in Mexico.
 
What if Trent Affair war AND French intervention both happens, somehow the Juaristas are able to throw out Maximilian easily enough that they then march north to attack the French forces in the Confederacy as well.

Time for a different approach to Harry Harrison. Snake and Eagle Forever?
 
What if Trent Affair war AND French intervention both happens, somehow the Juaristas are able to throw out Maximilian easily enough that they then march north to attack the French forces in the Confederacy as well.

Time for a different approach to Harry Harrison. Snake and Eagle Forever?

There we come upon the crux of the problem.

The French intervention in 1863 was far more than the Juarista's could handle, and by 1864 they were hanging on for dear life being pushed into the remote north of the country while numerous state governors either sat the fight out or defected, and more importantly they were starting to run out of money. It was only thanks to being able to sell bonds in the US and finally (after Appomattox) more direct US support for the Juarez regime that they were able to both get the French to withdraw, and finally crush the remaining Imperial Mexican forces.

If Britain intervened in the ACW and France is building up in Mexico on schedule Juarez is going to have a hard enough time keeping his own forces from collapsing, much less considering attacking the Confederates. Unless the US is able to spare 50,000 men to march into Mexico and fight the French for Juarez he's basically doomed.
 
Now I'm just being silly but in Snake and Eagle Forever, what could happen is we have the French accidentally attack a Conservative city, causing them to make peace with the Liberals to unite against France.

The SAEF novel could have a joint Mexican-American force storming Paris to burn down the Louvre.
 
The Reforma Wars are a short, decisive victory for Juarez. Thus there isn't much damage and Mexico is still able to keep paying foreign debts.
When the South secedes, it doesn't act like a complete idiot diplomatically and plays its cards right, bringing England and France into the fray early, enough for the US to have a shortage of gunpowder as they haven't finished the process to make it on their own.
Desperate, Lincoln asks both Russia and Mexico for help. Mexico, hoping to united the people against a common foe and gain either some land or an ally who won't war with them in the north, declares war against the CSA and especially France, citing the Pastry War as an example of European meddling in North American affairs.

Thus we have one interesting world war:
USA, Mexico and Russia vs. CSA, France and England
 
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