During the American Civil War, foreign policy proved to be significant in the effort to preserve the Union. Because the Confederacy immediately pursued diplomatic recognition by Britain and France, the United States was forced to both counter those efforts and find stalwart allies abroad. Russia, seemingly distant and despotic, would prove to be a firm friend of the United States. Although a great deal of the Russo-American friendship arose out of shared interests against Britain and France, the emancipation of the serfs by Alexander II gave a strong ideological boost to this informal alliance.
