It's a desire to have homerule and determine your own course in the world. Which I understand. Still among the UK, the US and the former dominions I don't think there's any differences that great that anyone would see the war as a fight to the death. Obviously to get to a war things would probably have to change some and this might not be the case any more.
All wars are to the death, it wouldn't be a war if nobody died. Your suggestion that any of the countries would be perfectly content to be annexed is just plain wrong.