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Britain 's Failure Of The American Revolution Essay

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The British empire was a dominant global power for centuries. They were victorious in many wars, including the Seven Year’s war. This war, however, was the beginning of the end for Britain. After the Seven Year’s war, Britain was left with massive debts. In an attempt to rectify their monetary crisis and diminish their debts, the British government decided to impose taxes on the American colonists. The colonists were hostile to this taxation, their hostility due mostly to the fact that they had no representation in British Parliament. This issue of “no taxation without representation” was one of the major causes of the American Revolutionary war (1775-1783). This essay will argue that two main factors can explain Britain’s failure in the American Revolution: Britain’s geographical location, and the disadvantages that came with it, which severely affected Britain’s ability to adequately supply its army in the 13 colonies, and Britain’s general overconfidence and self assurance that its European style line infantry forces were superior to the unseasoned American rebel army, which lead the British to underestimate their enemies.
Britain was geographically disadvantaged in the American Revolutionary war. There were approximately 3,000 miles separating Britain from its American colonies. This significant distance across seas made communication and transportation very slow. It typically took between four and six weeks for British supplies and communications to reach the colonies

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