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Question: What were the strengths and weaknesses of!?
Great Britain and the Colonies during the American Revolution!?

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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Great Britain

Strengths!.!.!.
Huge well trained and well equipt Armed Forces!. The british Army was also an Army used to a long and unbroken string of victories, in War this adds huge momentum!.

A larger population base than the Colonies, and more readily available resources to draw on!.

The Royal Navy!. Which at that point in History held absolute unchallenged mastery over the World's seas!.

Weaknesses

Overconfidence!. The British simply assumed that The American Colonies would roll over and die for them like everyone else did!.

Stodgy Political Generals!. Although the British Army had a few good commanders (Cornwallis) Most of their senior generals in America were just woefully incompetent!.

The Colonies

Strengths!.!.!.
Patriotism and Devotion to the Cause of Freedom!. It is difficult to stop an Army full of Men who are willing to die for what they believe in!.

Excellent Political and Military Leadership!. The Colonists had both shrewd Political operators like Benjamin Franklin and Excellent Generals like George Washington, Dan Morgan, and Nathaniel Greene!. They were all invaluable to the Colonies in the Revolution!.

Space!. The Colonies landmass, compared to England, was huge!. Lots of room for the Continental Army to manuever in and very easy to cut the British off from thier base of supply!.

Weaknesses
American Loyalists or Tories!. The were a constant thorn in the side of the Continental Armies!. The fed information to the Bristish and fought beside them!.

Political Corruption and Graft!. The Continental Congress while full of fine men who helped the cause a lot, was also fun of People who were out first and foremost for their own good!. This caused problems!.

Hope I was of some help Sam!. I'm an amateur Military Historian, anytime You need help with stuff like this just ask!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The British had a professional Army from the start!. They could call on Hessian mercenaries as well!. They had the worlds best navy!. They had a larger population, but many were sympathetic to the Colonies!. Their weaknesses were they had a 3,000 mile long supply line and they had to win!. The Colonists only had to outlast their will to fight!. The Colonists had a vast area of operations and Armies were comparatively small!. Even British occupied areas were often never really pacified!. The British usually enjoyed the alliance of the Amerindian tribes!. That was a plus!. The negative was the tribes were unreliable!. When Burgoyne left Canada he had thousands of native warriors!. By Saratoga they were virtually gone!. Partly because he did not allow them to plunder as they wished and partly they didn't like fighting with experienced frontiersmen like Morgans riflemen!. The biggest navy was an asset against the Continental Navy and smaller Colonial navies!. It was not that big a plus against thousands of American privateers that raided British shipping!. But the big negative for the British was the big plus for America!. They had to pacify an entire people!. Even with almost half Loyalist's it was an impossible job!. A lesson that little "W" could learn for Iraq now!.!.!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Great Britain:

~Population!.!.they had abt 7!.5 million to about 2!.5 million colonists
~they had an established Navy which is something the colonists didn't have
~they had a professional army roughly consisting of people from Great Britain, hired Hessians & Colonial Loyalists!.

The Colonists:

~Leadership -men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson!. They were also smart enough to import some brains like Lafayette & Kosciuzko!.
~They were fighting defensively on their own soil
~Food wasn't an issue for them!.!.being on their own soil the agriculture base favored the home team!.!.while the British had to find loyalists or try to take provisions by force!.
~Colonists were better marksman because they were used to hunting to sustain their foodbase!. They could easily be abt 200 yards away and fire and hit their target!.
~They had a cause to fight for!.Www@QuestionHome@Com