When Diplomacy Fails Podcast
patreon
Diplomacy: Britain vs America #3
🕑 Added 2023-01-29 17:51:45 +0000 UTC[PATRONS]
Thanksss so much for supporting WDF!
By spring 1841, Palmerston was running out of patience. New York remained entirely uncooperative, and Washington refused to intervene in Alexander McLeod's predicament. Unwilling to understand or accept the constitutional complexities of the question, Palmerston raised the temperature, sending a clear message about British red lines. As he seethed, and McLeod rotted in jail, it was necessary to keep one eye on the French. It could never be guaranteed how Paris would react to a new Anglo-American War, and some even believed it was the destiny of Britain and France to fight forever. In the midst of these issues, a new Tory government loomed on the horizon in London, and Palmerston was determined to leave his mark on the situation before his time in office came to an end.
Comments
When Diplomacy Fails Podcast
Absolutely, I admit this surprised me as well, because it is taken so much for granted now, but it definitely puzzled contemporaries in Europe back then! They had the German Confederation to look to as an example, but it doesn't seem like Europeans were this perceptive at the time.
Micheal P. Gumbert
The really interesting thing for me is how uncommon or unknown the particular form of the American federal system of government would have been to most of the unitary states in the world. I found myself thinking while listening, "well, the state of New York is its own sovereign entity," but then it occurs to me how strange a political reality that is.
