The French Revolution: An Atlantic Perspective
ENDNOTES
Atlantic Revolutions and the origins of nationalism in colonial Atlantic societies came about in part because of the imperial crises created by overextended European empires. Nations emerged from the ashes of revolution as a “product of tensions wrought by efforts to recast the institutional framework of imperial sovereignty.”1 The French Revolution in particular was set in motion by the structural deficiencies in controlling the empire’s finances. Global and commercial warfare, growing economic inequality, and new Enlightenment ideas became the foundations upon which the National Assembly would construct their new model for France. Along with other European monarchies, France was actively seeking out wealth and status in the Atlantic world. The state had invested heavily into carving out significant portions of territories in Africa, the Caribbean, and northern America, some for settlement and some for trade. However, the eighteenth century saw France enter into a series of wars with Britain, its closest competitor in Europe. Since the Seven Years War, the prevailing idea among French leaders was that the independence of British colonies in North America would be bad for Britain and therefore good for France.2 As the British colonies in America began their fight against the imperial authorities, there was an opportunity for France to enter into an alliance with the American Revolutionaries in order to weaken Britain’s imperial position. The French ambassador in London wrote: If the resistance of the Americans is successful, this will reduce England to a point where she can no longer cause disquietude, and the influence of France on the continent will increase in proportion to the enfeeblement of the British empire.3 The treaties signed between Foreign Minister Comte De Vergennes and Benjamin Franklin formally tied French and American commercial and political interests together. Triumphal Arch decorated with flag of France, Pexels.
As the American Revolutionary War progressed, France continued to supply the Patriots with financial donations, naval support, and military equipment. Many Frenchmen, inspired by the fight against British tyranny,
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