American Revolution fails, British leave BNA later due to Continent

Inspired by some recent thoughts about vast differences in culture between the Northern and Southern United States.

Let's say that Great Britain gets some absurdly good luck and manages to crush the American Revolution very quickly, before any major foreign powers step in. The Americans are kept under control on a tight leash by British governors, with many colonial assemblies dissolved as dangerous bunches of malcontents, but the British colonies in North America become a constant drain on Great Britain's money and soldiers, even with increased taxes. This leaves a situation in Europe where Great Britain is dangerously hegemonic, and within one or two decades a large anti-British coalition arises on the Continent, due to some trigger other than the American Revolution (which served as the appropriate trigger IOTL). For the sake of argument, let's say that this coalition is strong enough to inflict several major defeats on Great Britain, such that eventually Parliament, trying to protect the British homeland, withdraws most British forces from North America.

So the British colonies in North America become de facto independent, but there's no uniting experience of a revolution to tie them together, and the experience of democratic rule is more or less gone. What happens?
 
It was the revolutionaries who had the absurdly good luck in OTL!
I don't think that we would have ruled the BNA like you have suggested. A lot of the population was loyalist and wouldn't have been oppressed. As to reducing manpower due to a Grand Coalition in Europe (analogue to the Napoleonic Wars?) I'm not so sure that the converse wouldn't be true as the Coalition would be busily fermenting trouble in all the colonial possessions BNA and India so Manpower would be increased!
 

Rstone4

Banned
Inspired by some recent thoughts about vast differences in culture between the Northern and Southern United States.

Let's say that Great Britain gets some absurdly good luck and manages to crush the American Revolution very quickly, before any major foreign powers step in. The Americans are kept under control on a tight leash by British governors, with many colonial assemblies dissolved as dangerous bunches of malcontents, but the British colonies in North America become a constant drain on Great Britain's money and soldiers, even with increased taxes. This leaves a situation in Europe where Great Britain is dangerously hegemonic, and within one or two decades a large anti-British coalition arises on the Continent, due to some trigger other than the American Revolution (which served as the appropriate trigger IOTL). For the sake of argument, let's say that this coalition is strong enough to inflict several major defeats on Great Britain, such that eventually Parliament, trying to protect the British homeland, withdraws most British forces from North America.

So the British colonies in North America become de facto independent, but there's no uniting experience of a revolution to tie them together, and the experience of democratic rule is more or less gone. What happens?

Unity failed twice, in the French and Indian war and in Washington's War. So the Concert of Europe steps in, Beats down the UK and makes them give up North America. France regains Canada, and all of the 13 colonies become protectorates of the Concert. France gets Louisiana back too.

The Colonials in Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York scuffle with France over Ohio. Georgia and Carolina colonials want to press west too.
 
It was the revolutionaries who had the absurdly good luck in OTL!
I don't think that we would have ruled the BNA like you have suggested. A lot of the population was loyalist and wouldn't have been oppressed. As to reducing manpower due to a Grand Coalition in Europe (analogue to the Napoleonic Wars?) I'm not so sure that the converse wouldn't be true as the Coalition would be busily fermenting trouble in all the colonial possessions BNA and India so Manpower would be increased!

Sorry. Let me be clear: I'm aware that my proposed background behind this method of American independence is unlikely, to say the least. Come up with another mechanism if you want. The main question I'm asking is "What would happen if America became independent without any real experience of working together against Great Britain?"

Unity failed twice, in the French and Indian war and in Washington's War. So the Concert of Europe steps in, Beats down the UK and makes them give up North America. France regains Canada, and all of the 13 colonies become protectorates of the Concert. France gets Louisiana back too.

The Colonials in Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York scuffle with France over Ohio. Georgia and Carolina colonials want to press west too.

Are the other European powers capable of projecting enough power to North America to regain control over their lands from the various British colonies there (including the ones that became OTL Canada, not just the Thirteen Colonies)? That's an honest question; I know little about this time-period and I have no idea personally whether they could or not.

Do you think there will be any confederations formed (e.g. maybe some of the New England colonies) or would all the ex-colonies stay fully independent?
 
Sorry. Let me be clear: I'm aware that my proposed background behind this method of American independence is unlikely, to say the least. Come up with another mechanism if you want. The main question I'm asking is "What would happen if America became independent without any real experience of working together against Great Britain?"



Are the other European powers capable of projecting enough power to North America to regain control over their lands from the various British colonies there (including the ones that became OTL Canada, not just the Thirteen Colonies)? That's an honest question; I know little about this time-period and I have no idea personally whether they could or not.

Do you think there will be any confederations formed (e.g. maybe some of the New England colonies) or would all the ex-colonies stay fully independent?

You need Britain to lose its Navy, so that its vulnerable to an invasion. However if it has lost its Navy it won't be able to get the troops back! Anyway ignoring that for the moment I would think that you would get several nations:New England (which may or may not also include Vermont),New York,Pennsylvania, Virginia, some Southern Coalition of the Carolinas and Georgia and then Quebec. I suspect that Rupert's Land and the Maritime provinces would stay loyal to Britain as might the Southern Coalition. There would be lots of skirmishes as the new Nations jockeyed for position. A single nation might arise but it would be by conquest not federation.
 
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