Effects of a Failed American Rebellion?

Wolfpaw

Banned
WI the American Rebellion was defeated sometime in the late 1770s and the British maintain control of the Colonies? What would some of the effects be on Europe? The Americas? The evolution of liberalism? Future revolutions/rebellions?
 

Grey Wolf

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Depending on when it fails, I would see different results

If France and Spain are in the war, then the defeat of the rebellion is also the defeat of them and may in fact bring revolt closer as they'll have spent money for no gain in this scenario.

If its early-time, France won't have spent so much, and this may delay the problems that lead to the late 1780s crisis

A lot of famous people would be dead, and seen as walk-on parts in history

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Do we need a sticky for this? It's becoming this forum's Sealion.

Why? Is this generally regarded as utterly impossible or what?

The main change is that Britain has to give the colonies a decent compromise between representation and autonomy in some way. If they succeed, the colonies could stay "British" or rather could stay within a common entity with Britain indefinitely.
 
Why? Is this generally regarded as utterly impossible or what?

The main change is that Britain has to give the colonies a decent compromise between representation and autonomy in some way. If they succeed, the colonies could stay "British" or rather could stay within a common entity with Britain indefinitely.

I was referring to the fact that it gets brought up all the time, rather than its plausibility.
 
Why? Is this generally regarded as utterly impossible or what?

The main change is that Britain has to give the colonies a decent compromise between representation and autonomy in some way. If they succeed, the colonies could stay "British" or rather could stay within a common entity with Britain indefinitely.
Britain offered fairly generous terms to the rebels twice during the 1770s, the second time in 1776 requiring little more than nominal acceptance of British soverignty and continued access for British merchants to American trade which fell within the limits of what some rebel leaders had said on the previous occasion would be considered acceptable, but those terms were rejected by hardline rebel leaders -- who had apparently already decided to settle for nothing short of full independence, without necessarily consulting their colonies' legislatures on the subject -- on both occasions. According to the book in which I read about this fact (title = 'Redcoat', author's name I can't remember, written to accompany a television series) one reason for the refusal was that one of the main channels for British communication with the rebel leadership was through Benjamin Franklin who was serving as the rebels' ambassador to France, and (according to claims that the author said had subsequently been made by John Adams) Franklin was taking an [unofficial] commission out of the French financial aid to the rebels which actually gave him a personal motive for prolonging the conflict...


And if too many of the rebels keep refusing terms then, unfortunately, Britain simply can't afford the troops necessary to maintain control effecively over such a large area.
 

Faeelin

Banned
You know, Mexico's revolutionaries were pretty much crushed initially. And they kept going. For years.

My guess is the Second American Revolution will succeed where the first failed.
 
-- who had apparently already decided to settle for nothing short of full independence, without necessarily consulting their colonies' legislatures on the subject --

Actually, I'm pretty sure the Provincial Congresses were fairly sold on the idea at this point.
 
According to the book in which I read about this fact (title = 'Redcoat', author's name I can't remember, written to accompany a television series)

'Rebels and Redcoats', by Hugh Bicheno (who was born to British parents but had become an American citizen), published 2003. I don't know whether the television series had the same title (the working title at the date (when this book was commissioned was 'Brothers at War') but it was a co-production between the BBC and a station called -- if I'm reading my scribbled note corrrectly -- WGBH Boston and was presented by British historian Richard Holmes.
 
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