1885-1912 (Quebec Independence)

The War of 1885
The War of 1885, fought between the United States and Quebec against the Confederacy, Pacifica, and the British and Canada lasted 24 months and resulted in the defeat of the US and Quebec. The northern goal of reunification and Manifest Destiny would ended as their armies were defeated. The war, which began in 1885, started with the American campaigns straight for Richmond in the Confederacy and Salem in Oregon. However, the better generals and soldiers of the invaded nations quickly turned the tide of the war, while the Royal Navy blockaded the coast and decimated the United States economy. Canadian soldiers poured into western Quebec while the Confederates drived for Washington. Though the Confederates would be stopped at Annapolis, a Confederate victory was clear and Union president James G. Blaine called for a ceasefire in 1887.

Consequences of the War
The war, referred to by many in the south as the "Second War of Independence", showed that the reunification was not possible. The Confederacy proved it was equal to the north and was its own independent nation. In the north, spirits were shattered and the economy slumped. Blaine and the Republican Party lost all credibility following the war, and would never win another election and would disband in the 1890s. Nationalist party candidate Grover Cleveland would win a landslide election 1888, and promised to continue to industrialize the nation and revive the economy. Similiarily, Parti Rouge in Quebec would be blamed for the defeat and fall out of power, and be replaced by the Socialist Party half a decade later.

The Confederacy and Pacifica proved the were forever free, and continued to expand the railroads and telegrams that connected them. In the north, the British dominion of Canada continued their expansion into Quebec, taking large swaths of land from the western half of the nation.

The war could be seen as a smaller version of World War I which would erupt in 1912. Trench warfare dominated the Virginian front and slowed the Union advance, while weapons like the machine gun debuted. The combination of this technique and weapon could cause thousands of casualties for little gains. The major European powers ignored these lessons, while some of the smaller nations adapted these policies in order to level the playing field in future wars.