AHC: British Imperial Decline in the 19th Century

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
The challenge is to have the British Empire go into major decline in the 19th century, ie. knock it off its perch at its strongest. This can mean the shrinking of the Empire, bankruptcy, decolonisation, a revolution in Britain, being crippled in a war, or, better yet, all of them!
 
When in the 19th Century? You could have them lose the Napoleonic Wars. Popular revolt in the 1830s or 1840s. Successful Indian mutiny in the 1850s.
 
The quickest ways for Britain to loose it's Empire is:
1) India - 1857 the British lose India to the Mutiniers, probably due to support from Russia.
2) Africa - Rhodes doesn't merge the diamond mines at Kimberly and Brits don't expand north.

It would take some serious work to loose the Dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) but a series of "unfair" taxs on goods from these countries may spark independance movements particularly if the UK government was weak.

As the pound was on the gold standard it would take a world economic crisis to seriously bankcrupt the UK and I am not sure there was enough interdependancy in the 19th century to cause a Great Depression of 18xx.
 
The quickest ways for Britain to loose it's Empire is:
1) India - 1857 the British lose India to the Mutiniers, probably due to support from Russia.
2) Africa - Rhodes doesn't merge the diamond mines at Kimberly and Brits don't expand north.

It would take some serious work to loose the Dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) but a series of "unfair" taxs on goods from these countries may spark independance movements particularly if the UK government was weak.

As the pound was on the gold standard it would take a world economic crisis to seriously bankcrupt the UK and I am not sure there was enough interdependancy in the 19th century to cause a Great Depression of 18xx.

South Africa could be lost with the Napelonic Wars. Canada had a couple of rebellions in 1837. I'm pretty sure you could have a prison break in Australia early on that ends up butchering the administration and free settlers too.
 
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