What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
Britain has historically built the world's largest empire. If all of Britain's colonies were counted as its territory, the British Empire would be the first empire in history to transcend the mongol empire. However, in modern times, especially after the two world wars, Britain, which was deeply traumatized by the war, declined rapidly, while the United States rose like a new star. Many people believe that if Britain had moved its capital from London to the United States, it would have been able to continue the glory of the empire that never set.
This assumption does not hold!
First, the center of Britain is in the British Isles
The British Isles are the birthplace of the British, the basis of the civilization on which Britain rose, and it can be said that even though Britain seized a large number of colonies in the world, the center of Britain has never changed in the slightest. For them, even if all the colonies are lost, then Britain will still be Britain. In the same way, even if there are all the colonies, but the British Isles change hands, then Britain will no longer exist.
This is like Russia, even if from the time of the Tsarist to the present Russia, the territory of Asia is much larger than the European part, but they still see themselves as Europeans, not the root of Asians. Because the European part was the starting point of the rise of the Rus' and the origin of Tsarist Culture. These have nothing to do with the size of the territory.
Just as ancient China originated in the Yellow River Basin, the center of Chinese civilization remained in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River for thousands of years after that.
Second, the Americas were poor and white
Of course, in addition to the cultural origins, there are also economic factors. At that time, the center of the world was clearly in Europe, and the rest of the world was in the eyes of advanced Westerners as backward and ignorant. The rest of the world exists only to serve Europe, to become the source of raw materials in the old capitalist countries, or to dump commodities.
After years of colonial plunder, Europe accumulated a lot of wealth. This wealth was eventually used by Europeans to develop technology in addition to indulgence and pleasure. At that time, the world's most well-known universities and research institutes were distributed in European countries. Eventually Watt improved the steam engine and lifted the curtain on the first industrial revolution.
And what was America like at this time?
At this time, the overall situation in North America was even worse than that of China. The north is sparsely populated, and Indians roam the heart of the Americas. Because of its warm and humid climate, the south is suitable for the cultivation of crops such as cotton. Naturally, he became a supplier of raw materials to the Western world. And that's all. At that time, the British did not look down on the people of the North American colonies at all. Think of most of them as losers. Repressive measures of domination were taken against them. Otherwise there would have been no later gunshots from Lexington.
Third, the United States was a melting pot of many nationalities
Although the United States adheres to the mainstream values of the West, it is completely different from the conservative values of britain. They developed a unique worldview and values during the colonization era. In addition, those who go to North America themselves are more or less on the fringes of mainstream society in the Western world. In the eyes of the British, taking the initiative to go to the primitive and barbaric places of the North American colonies is actually a kind of self-exile. Coupled with Britain's own advantages at that time, it is naturally impossible to put the United States in the eyes.
In addition, although the North American colonies later became British Dominions, this was a long historical process. There have been several changes in the middle, and the composition of the population living in the North American colonies is extremely complex. In addition to the few Indians who survived, there were also a large number of blacks who were trafficked to North America through the slave trade, and in the case of Europeans alone, the North American colonies were full of Germans, French, Dutch, Spaniards, and so on.
Britain, which has a high self-esteem, has always left itself outside of Europe and pursued a policy of continental equilibrium. Although the British may not have performed, the birth of the Industrial Revolution reinforced Britain's own sense of superiority. There was no problem in acquiring wealth from the North American colonies, but the British would see it as an insult to them to be in the company of people they despised.
Therefore, for all the above reasons, Britain will not give up its own civilization center under any circumstances, and will travel thousands of miles to North America, which is still a barbaric land. Of course, there is another reason, even if the British did it that year. The North American colonies, which were completely transplanted in the British style, could no longer become the United States.