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I was involved in a recent discussion, where the other person was arguing that Canada was, for many years, a "vassal state" to Great Britain. As evidence, he stated that Canadians continued to die in wars declared by Britain in which Canada had no interest. Also, the other person argued that Canada was easier to manage as a vassal state than as a full colony. That person made some good points, which I don't fully agree with. I was wondering what others think.
People Dying in a war declared by parent country - Both WW I and II were wars where the entire civilized world needed to line up on one side. The U.S. certainly was no "vassal state" to Britain, and were not one at any time after 1815. People can differ as to whether we had achieved full independence in 1783. Many call the War of 1812 the "Second War of Independence" for good reasons. Not a jot or tittle of boundaries changed, but the messy transition turned to full independence.
Management easier as vassal state - There you may be onto something. Canada's value for fur trading was declining. Britain had absolutely no desire to be dragged into the U.S. Civil War by Nova Scotia traders eager to do business with the Confederacy, an entity no government recognized. While Dominion Day was July 1, 1867 the groundwork had to be laid considerably earlier.
Britain was unwilling and probably unable to finance the massive infrastructure improvements in Canada dictated by the Industrial Revolution, including railroads. In fact an option of building the CP line was to route the "Ontario" portion of the line west of Sudbury through the U.S. and then heading north to Winnipeg and thence continuing West. The Canadian shield portion of that line, north of Lake Superior, was considered the most challenging portion to build, rivaling even the Rockies.
People Dying in a war declared by parent country - Both WW I and II were wars where the entire civilized world needed to line up on one side. The U.S. certainly was no "vassal state" to Britain, and were not one at any time after 1815. People can differ as to whether we had achieved full independence in 1783. Many call the War of 1812 the "Second War of Independence" for good reasons. Not a jot or tittle of boundaries changed, but the messy transition turned to full independence.
Management easier as vassal state - There you may be onto something. Canada's value for fur trading was declining. Britain had absolutely no desire to be dragged into the U.S. Civil War by Nova Scotia traders eager to do business with the Confederacy, an entity no government recognized. While Dominion Day was July 1, 1867 the groundwork had to be laid considerably earlier.
Britain was unwilling and probably unable to finance the massive infrastructure improvements in Canada dictated by the Industrial Revolution, including railroads. In fact an option of building the CP line was to route the "Ontario" portion of the line west of Sudbury through the U.S. and then heading north to Winnipeg and thence continuing West. The Canadian shield portion of that line, north of Lake Superior, was considered the most challenging portion to build, rivaling even the Rockies.