AHC, WI & PC: Slow collapse of the British Empire

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
I'm contemplating a scenario where Britain fails to liberalise after George III and where a radicalised Chartist movement only continues to gather steam after 1848. Britain eventually goes to war against the US during the ACW in support of the CSA; a war it 'wins', but which only serves to hasten the Empire's decline. I want to stagger this collapse out as long as possible, with Britain itself finally succumbing to revolution and the various parts of the rest of the Empire having to make their own ways in the world.

What internal changes are necessary in Britain to allow this scenario to come about? What are some plausible PODs to bring about those changes? How would the 19th century be different (primarily from a geopolitical perspective)? What would a 'long collapse' look like for the Empire (again, primarily from a geopolitical perspective)?

Discussion can range from fulfilling this as a challenge, to discussing consequences, to discussing plausibility.
 
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At this time you had very high birth rates and while there was quite a bit of econimic growth it didn't rise that much above the population growth rate so you can put a nasty squueze on in the short term if you drop econimic growth by just a bit.
 
Conscription during British intervention in the ACW prompts exodus from UK after the war to South Africa and Australia. These two regions revolt against London, also Ireland might stage a revolt or two.

Also less manpower to send to India to maintain the hold there.

Canada on the other hand would have either bad blood with London or have foraged a bond of blood with the UK and CSA
 
Without the Reform Act radical Chartism is likely to result in civil war and revolution in Britain. Despite a variety of incidents both the authorities and the Chartists went to great lengths to distance themselves from revolution and illegal suppression.

However, without the pressure relief valve of the Reform Act, the militant Chartists (who were already arming in OTL) would inevitably clash with hot headed magistrates and militia with increasing loss of life and sides being taken. For example, Chartist radicals in OTL had dug a tunnel under an army barrack building and gathered gunpowder to be set off beneath it.

Parliamentary reform and economic growth blunted the political and economic pressures in OTL.

The Empire was an irrelevance in this context except as a route to global markets.

Assuming a successful revolution the the revolutionary British government has a problem. Who do you hand the existing colonies to? Other European states? Surely not. The USA is a slave society so that is not acceptable. Locally it would be the nearest despot so that would clash with the revolutionary aims. I suspect they would be kept as colonies with earlier moves towards independence under suitable local government.

There was no way Britain was ever going to go to war in support of the Confederate States. The first half of the 19th century was a succession of not only anti slavery Acts but the active work of the Royal Navy suppressing the slave trade from Africa. Now making money out of it another issue entirely.
 
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Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
There was no way Britain was ever going to go to war in support of the Confederate States. The first half of the 19th century was a succession of not only anti slavery Acts but the active work of the Royal Navy suppressing the slave trade from Africa. Now making money out of it another issue entirely.

So is there a way to make the Pre-revolutionary British government pro-slavery enough to support the CSA with a POD during George III? Stronger sugar lobby, different dynamics in South Africa, no Wilberforce?
 
Okay the best way to make this happen is to have Vicky never be born. With her not around Earnest Augustus would be first in line for the throne and his rule would be an absolute disaster. The man would likely get himself murdered in 1848 (or whatever year general revolution breaks out in ITTL). If you simply timed a bad famine to go along with the revolution (not hard, colonial policy practically encouraged famine) lack of forthcoming relief due to revolution a mutiny could break out among the Sepoys who end up pushing out the east india company with various opportunistic princes establishing their own states across India. At the same time French Canadians stage their own uprising, ultimately declaring independence of London (and possibly rappelling for French support), with that the rest of the British Empire is in the very least a vestigial remnant compared to what it used to have. The combined economic and political blow may well lower them from "worlds first superpower" to "just one of the great powers" in the long run.
 
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