How Big Can Canada Get?

I developed a "Canada" that is basically OTL+Alaska but also has New England east of the Connecticut River.

It's a TL where the Spanish Empire survives (not sure of the POD yet, methinks something to do with Don Juan of Austria) by not massacring its most valuable resource: forced Indian labor, and prolongs its decline by some 200 years. Think a Latin version of the Russian Empire-Soviet Union. In the 1910s, a Communist Revolution overthrows the Emperor in Madrid and plunges the nation into civil war (between the Rojos and the Violetas.)

Most of North America is left for the Dutch to colonize. As the Spaniards have grown in power, ironically, so have the Dutch. New Netherland has grown to the Rio Grande and lower Oregon Territory. It's a huge melting pot of cultures that survives on the principle of mass capitalism. Being Dutch, they are a nation of merchants. Meanwhile, England's overseas expansion has... shifted. There is no attempt at Virginia, but the Pilgrims/Puritans still take their shot and set sail for the New World, landing in Cape Cod. The Colony grows northward (so as not to disturb the expanding Dutch) and soon becomes the Dominion of Greater Massachusetts in 1865.

On a side note, Australia is discovered earlier and colonization begins sooner (massive land grants, penal colonialism, and propaganda usage gets the colony off to a great start) but leads to a revolution sometime between 1790s-1830s.

It's a TL that needs some work, but I do like my bigger and stronger "Canada."
 
Greenland? It could end up being run by Canada instead of the US during WW2, and then with a limited Nazi victory (ie Denmark doesn't get independence) they get to keep it. After all, IOTL it didn't get home rule until '78, and ITTL it would probably end up with a similar status to Nunavut- or even as part of it!
 
If Britain wins the War of 1812 it could have (reasonably) picked up the Great Lakes region as well as Maine. Once it has the Great Lakes regions, a new more northern Oregon trail might have been established which leads to a dominance of Brit/Canadian settlers in the Oregon country. If the California gold rush still occurs, Britain is in a far better position to take advantage of it, which could lead to a British California. Alaska could just as easily be in Canada as well.

IF...?!? How do you define a win in a defensive war? I think burning down the opponents' capital, dominating the seas/Great Lakes and so choking trade, and not losing an inch of territory to the agressor would put this paticular conflict in the win column for the British.

Regardless; Here's a map I submitted a while back of where the borders between BNA and USA are set along the 40th parallel rather than the 49th.

40th Parallel.PNG
 
IF...?!? How do you define a win in a defensive war? I think burning down the opponents' capital, dominating the seas/Great Lakes and so choking trade, and not losing an inch of territory to the agressor would put this paticular conflict in the win column for the British.

Regardless; Here's a map I submitted a while back of where the borders between BNA and USA are set along the 40th parallel rather than the 49th.
Due to the complex circumstances of that war, both sides, at least from their modern descendants' perspective, fought defensive wars. Since neither side lost an inch, then one can argue that both sides 'won'.

That is wrong: there was a clear winner, and its name was Canada: for 1812 created the Canadian identity, or, at least solidified it to a degree beyond 'Loyalist North American Colonial'.
 
Due to the complex circumstances of that war, both sides, at least from their modern descendants' perspective, fought defensive wars. Since neither side lost an inch, then one can argue that both sides 'won'.

That is wrong: there was a clear winner, and its name was Canada: for 1812 created the Canadian identity, or, at least solidified it to a degree beyond 'Loyalist North American Colonial'.

I'm not sure what the Americans are thought to be defending against at the time - the British were rather busy on the Continent, and weren't an existential threat to the United States. The matter of impressment of nominally US citizens into the Royal Navy was a serious concern, but hardly a "We must fight or we die" for the new nation. It was an agressive war to 'liberate' their cousins to the North, whom they mistakenly thought would welcome them.
 
Due to the complex circumstances of that war, both sides, at least from their modern descendants' perspective, fought defensive wars. Since neither side lost an inch, then one can argue that both sides 'won'.

That is wrong: there was a clear winner, and its name was Canada: for 1812 created the Canadian identity, or, at least solidified it to a degree beyond 'Loyalist North American Colonial'.

I'm not sure what the Americans would have been defending from. The British were hardly an existential threat, being somewhat occupied on the continent. Impressment of nominally US citizens into the Royal Navy was a concern, but hardly a "We MUST fight or we shally surely perish" reason. It was an agressive war of 'liberation' for their northen cousins that they mistakenly thought wanted it.

Regardless, back to the original question, the American presence on the Great Lakes was thin enough after the ARW that the Ohio River could have been a plausible border (US to the South/East, British to the North/West) given some small changes. That was my thought for the 40th Parallel border
 
Well, the Treaty of Ghent could have gone significantly better for the Brits. Brit win at Plattsburg -> most of the Champlain valley goes to Quebec. (It's a (slightly) more natural border then the striaght line anyways.) We could hold onto the Red River valley too, And maybe - maybe - assuming General William Hull is appointed commander of all of America's armies for the entirety of the war - get Michigan for Tecumseh. After this kind of an American disaster (which, admittedly, is predicated on Napoleon freezing to death along with his men out in Russia before the NAmerican war even really starts as well :rolleyes:) Canada gettign Oregon is pretty much a forgone conclusion.

But it's a long shot. A really, really, long shot.
 
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