WI: US Civil War leads into a wider European Conflict

[Anon_Mcpseudonym]

There are quite a few threads about the South doing differently in the Civil War, and whilst reading about Russian-American relations during that period, I found something interesting. The Russians had an extremely positive relationship with the North. The Baltic and Pacific fleets of Russia were actually moved to America's West and East coast. As well as this, both Britain and France favored the Confederacy to varying degrees.
So if at any point one of these powers were to join (and presumably bring the others into a conflict), who would win? Would the NGC join? What would the consequences to America be?

 

[MichiganNationalist1837]

The Russians would have a hard time actually helping the Union. There navy was weak and they did not border Britain or France.

 

[HunterX]

The Russians would have a hard time actually helping the Union. There navy was weak and they did not border Britain or France.

A lack of a land border didn't stop Russia from fighting a long war with France and Britain just a few years prior. You'd probably be looking at Russia reigniting that spark by moving back into south Bessarabia and beyond.

 

[MichiganNationalist1837]

A lack of a land border didn't stop Russia from fighting a long war with France and Britain just a few years prior. You'd probably be looking at Russia reigniting that spark by moving back into south Bessarabia and beyond.

But that was a Franco-British invasion. If the French and British don't want to fight the Russians there is little the Russians can do to force them to.

 

[HunterX]

But that was a Franco-British invasion. If the French and British don't want to fight the Russians there is little the Russians can do to force them to.

Russia would be delighted if that were the case, especially given how Austria is distracted with Denmark and Prussia at the time as well. But I don't see how Britain can afford letting Russia overturn the Treaty of Paris a few years after it was inked.

 

[water123]

Russia looses Alaska in around 3 days. it then becomes a staring contest that either evolves into a Crimean War type situation, or the only time British and Russia troops actually meet is in the Afghan steppes.

 

[King Nazar]

Russia could take advantage of Britain and France's distraction in America and Mexico to settle some scores with the Ottomans.

In that case Britain would probably want to get out of the war with the United States to focus on dealing with the Russians since what happens in the Balkans and in Central Asia is of far greater strategic importance to Britain than access to cheap American cotton.

 

[Anon_Mcpseudonym]

Russia looses Alaska in around 3 days. it then becomes a staring contest that either evolves into a Crimean War type situation, or the only time British and Russia troops actually meet is in the Afghan steppes.

If the Americans win in the South (likely) then they'd occupy Canada (besides the great lakes area, as that'd already be occupied) as well. But the results of a conflict in India could go either way, really