DBWI: What if the Great American War never happened?

As we all hopefully know the GAW began when the USA invaded Canada in 1846 and the war eventually escalated to the point where it engulfed all of the Americas. But what if the GAW never happened? Is this even possible?
 

IFwanderer

Banned
Well, the rise of the Federal Republic of Uruguay (OTL: Uruguay + Southern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná + Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Misiones) to great power and unrivaled hegemon of America wouldn't have happened, given that it required the massive migrations from all around the continent (and later from Europe after their great wars), and the Burning of Buenos Aires to grow so much.
 
Would the USA's colonial empire still exist or without the annexation of British colonies would this never happen?
 
Would the USA's colonial empire still exist or without the annexation of British colonies would this never happen?

Well, Britain's defeat was actually facilitated by France and Spain, not the US. Palmerston pushed too hard during the Affair of the Spanish Marriages, which caused the initial Spanish War to break out. America jumped on the bandwagon whilst Britain was distracted in Europe, defending Gibraltar and Coburg. Even then, the fall of Canada was a close run thing, and Britain still managed to hold on to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The fall of the Bahamas - the foundation of American colonialism - was only made possible by the US' surprise victory over the Royal Navy off Florida in 1847. If the GAW never happened, American imperialism would have to turn away from the Caribbean and Africa and towards Asia-Pacific (once California was secured during the concurrent Mexican-American War), if it survived at all.
 

IFwanderer

Banned
Can we really call a couple islands in the Caribbean that they get to hold because Spain allows them to use their Floridan ports a "colonial empire"? They got their asses kicked back to the Mississipi and spend more time in wars between the "united" states than doing anything outside their borders.

OOC: retconned out after discussion with other posters for the sake of coherency and avoiding steppping on each other's toes.
 
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Can we really call a couple islands in the Caribbean that they get to hold because Spain allows them to use their Floridan ports a "colonial empire"? They got their asses kicked back to the Mississipi and spend more time in wars between the "united" states than doing anything outside their borders.
see the last post
 
Can we really call a couple islands in the Caribbean that they get to hold because Spain allows them to use their Floridan ports a "colonial empire"? They got their asses kicked back to the Mississipi and spend more time in wars between the "united" states than doing anything outside their borders.
The Americans also controlled African ports they took from the British and Ceylon was a short-lived colony before it became independent. Surprisingly enough New Zealand and Australia were originally British colonies too before they were annexed into the USA and became part of the Union like Canada. That's why there were many Oceanians that supported the CSA because they wanted to leave the Union.
 

IFwanderer

Banned
see the last post
OOC: Whoops, got ninja'd there and didn't notice their post after replying, give me a while to edit.

The Americans also controlled African ports they took from the British and Ceylon was a short-lived colony before it became independent. Surprisingly enough New Zealand and Australia were originally British colonies too before they were annexed into the USA and became part of the Union like Canada. That's why there were many Oceanians that supported the CSA because they wanted to leave the Union.

OOC: keep this one in mind:
Well, the rise of the Federal Republic of Uruguay (OTL: Uruguay + Southern Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná + Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Misiones) to great power and unrivaled hegemon of America wouldn't have happened, given that it required the massive migrations from all around the continent (and later from Europe after their great wars), and the Burning of Buenos Aires to grow so much.
We can't have a wanked up USA (so original /S) if this super-Uruguay is the top dog of America.
 
If the GAW never happened, American imperialism would have to turn away from the Caribbean and Africa and towards Asia-Pacific (once California was secured during the concurrent Mexican-American War), if it survived at all.
Are you suggesting that America would invade Japan rather than the British?
 
OOC: Whoops, got ninja'd there and didn't notice their post after replying, give me a while to edit.



OOC: keep this one in mind:

We can't have a wanked up USA (so original /S) if this super-Uruguay is the top dog of America.
OOC: Couldn't the American Empire collapse like the European empires, possibly in a GAW 2?
 
Would the American Civil Wars still happen in this world? I feel like the first one was inevitable but would the CSA win? Britain and Mexico won't be as bitter without losing the GAW so there goes the funding from those two. And without a Confederate victory I doubt the USA would be as devastated as it was in OTL by the 1890s so there might be no communists to rise up and overthrow the government.
 
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