Irish Yankee

What would this mean for the American colonies? For the balance of power in Europe? For the global empires of Britain and France?

tjadams

Purely speculating here:
I can see France benefiting greatly from the spoils of war.
Winning this war would of headed off the American Revolution for a few
decades, and the fall of the French monarchy. If the French had given free access
to the land beyond the Appalachian Mts, and to the territory known
as the later 'Louisiana Purchase', the American colonist would have
been happier for generations to come.
But, all the free-range movement still would have built up the
American spirit of self-rule and one way or another, the Americans
were going to buck the system.
As far as European France, she would have prospered greatly with
all the trade just as England did following the war. I can see a
French win in the war with England as stunting or preventing the
rise of Napoleon.

Mike Lynch

They would simply maintain the status quo in North America, they simply didn't have the population to compete with the British. There were 50-60 thousand French in North America compared to a couple million British.

In Europe, It wouldn't make a difference either. If I recall correctly, the war returned to status quo in Europe anyways.

Space Shark

France gets some gains in America, and secured dominance over the Ohio River Valley, but not much else. As Mike said, 50,000 just can't beat millions in a few years.

I think we'll see the revolution come a little quicker, due to the even higher costs on the British leading to even more taxes on colonists that were not used to direct taxiation.

emperor of seleucid

France retains Canada, but there's no way that 80,000 French Canadians could conquer 2,500,000 English colonists.

Patton

I agree with this.

Of course it leads to the question, how does having a French Presence in North America during the Revolution effect that wars outcome? How does it affect the young republic in it's infantile state? Obviously, France would have more reason to come America's aid sooner, but in the end it might be shoeing one overlord off for another as a young America might be under the French 'Sphere of Influence'.

Irish Yankee

I think that all of what is modern Canada would be French-speaking today and that the French authorities would open the lands west of the Proclimation line to settlement by the English colonists.

tjadams

That's how I see it. I was going on the assumption that France won the
war and once the victory was done, those English colonist would then be
told, "you are all now French citizens." And as you wrote, if the French
authorities did not stop the colonists at the mountain range, those
stubborn former English subjects would have gleefully accepted becoming
French.

Irish Yankee

Agreed. I wonder if the French language would have spread south and become adopted by the Americans? At least in part?

Pancho35

Even for a what if it is unrealistic to imagine France actually conquering the whole of North America during the Seven Years War. They didn't have nearly the amount of population as the British, the colonies were harder to conquer since there was no overall capital of the Thirteen colonies and British naval supremacy and the St. Lawrence freezing over makes it much harder for the French to import supplies and men.

A French victory would've been like this:

Montcalm chooses to wait for de Levis to back him up instead of charging Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham. The repel the British and defend Quebec. Winter sets in and the British are forced to retreat, bringing the war into 1760.

At this point French gains in Europe would have been able to trade up to keep hold of New France. Alternatively, if the French had been able to keep St. John's from the British tyrants in 1762, they would probably have been able to negotiate for New France.

In short, a status quo would probably have been the closest thing to victory for France in the Seven Years War. The costly war would still probably have resulted in a American Revolution. The question is, whose side would the neighbouring Quebec have and would the French Crown have still helped out the Americans as they did in reality? Probably.