WI: British Empire federalizes in the 1870s?

Suppose that the UK recognized that the surest way to preserve the empire was to fully integrate it? So in the 1870s, they begin the process of federalization. In addition to political integration, the native populations are also taught English and the British way of life, and are given modern infrastructure.

You can have any number of PODs to make this happen. I personally think that the PM with the greatest chance of doing this was Gladstone. In any event, what happens?
 
The Brits can't see their colonial subjects as equals until the 1960s or so, and by then they've already done so much damage to their colonies that unification is not possible.

You can have any number of PODs to make this happen.
Constantine III, the usurper, rules a sizable portion of the Western Roman Empire. Though Britain is greatly weakened by his rise and his withdrawing of the legions, it is reconquered later thanks to its significance to the dynasty and the Anglo-Saxon new arrivals are (slowly) assimilated.

After several hundred years of coexisting with the Eastern Roman Empire and not holding Rome, some Western Emperor decides to give up already and declare himself the British Emperor instead of Roman Emperor. After about a millennium of history and fluctuating borders, losing most territories except Britannia, a small amount of British conquests on the European mainland are integrated into Britannia itself after some sort of revolution establishing a federal state. Or maybe the state is already federal, and composed of migrant foederati.
 
Last edited:
The only way this would have happened would have been between Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. South Africa wasn't an option at the time and the rest of the colonies didn't meet the culture/social/political norms to federate with the Britain of the 1870s. You certainly wouldn't have seen it happening with India or the African colonies.

Easiest point of departure is bring to power some kind of Prime Minister who believed in this idea, although few mainstream politicians did, so that would be a big problem. The various Canadian, Australian and New Zealand governments would probably have agreed with such a proposal considering their own nationalism was very nascent in the 1870s. Even in 1914 massive chunks of their populations were British born or first generation Canadians/Australians etc. It was only really the Great War that kickstarted their own indigenous nationalism.

If you did manage to find a politician you could insert into the timeline then you have logistical issues. Worldwide telegraphy was only just starting to develop and while the UK-USA/Canada journey times were lowering and more than doable (considering California sent politicians to Washington when it took them as long to arrive) the UK-Australia/New Zealand travel times were still pretty hefty. Plus the British were always more laissez-faire about their colonies than say the French, who were very much into federalism and 'one France' rather than 'France and the colonies'.


Actually the more I think about it, the more I think that 1901 would have been the prime time. Logistics and communications have grown a fair deal more and when Victoria dies you can have a British PM suggest an Imperial Federation both in honour of her, bringing together all our various subject peoples and as a legitimate defence against the growing powers of Germany, Japan and the United States. Likewise in 1901, nationalism in the White Commonwealth was still rather nascent and the Brits/Canadians/Antipodeans had recently fought successfully together in South Africa forming a decent bond. Likewise Ireland wasn't on the edge of outright civil war like it was in 1914. You'd need to somehow alter the timeline to get a pro-federation PM in place for 1901 but it seems like the best date for me. Especially as Victoria's funeral in London was a rare occasion where all the political leaders would have been in one place to discuss such a thing. Still would have been just Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand though.
 
Last edited:
Hmm.. hard to say, there's still the problem of divergent interests between Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.

Consider for one UK's military and European ambitions, something that has very little benefit or interest in the dominions. This disinterest grew as time passed.

Consider for another Australia and New Zealand both of whom Japanese encroachment and American relations would be important priorities whereas Japan was a minor value for the UK and American relations was held in a different view in England.

Also consider that many immigrants to the dominions went there to get away from the UK and war in the first place, or the French minority in Canada for whom conscription in WWI left deep scars in the unity of the country.

Consider trade policy which will no doubt change as the United States develops and the UK itself occupies a smaller proportion of the trade.
 
Last edited:
Also consider that many immigrants to the dominions went there to get away from the UK and war in the first place, or the French minority in Canada for whom conscription in WWI left deep scars in the unity of the country.

Most of the migrants in the dominions left for economic reasons not because they hated the homeland and wanted to get away. You only need to look at the response to WW1 from the ANZACs and Anglo-Canada to see this. They still felt a strong connection to the homeland, they also still held British citizenship until 1931. The Irish are a slightly different issue but they made up much less of the population of Canada, Australia and NZ than their impact in 19th century America.

Consider trade policy which will no doubt change as the United States develops and the UK itself occupies a smaller proportion of the trade.
British trade wasn't surpassed in Australia and New Zealand until the British (stupidly) decided to join the EU and thus put up big tarriff barriers to their former colonies, meaning they had to turn to new markets instead of the traditional export to Britain. At the time when Imperial Federation was being discussed, Britain was still overwhelmingly their main trading partner and would remain so until a couple decades after WW2.
 
Top