European Responses to the American Revolution

Abstract

The American Revolution has influenced Europe in three ways. First came the impact of the Declara tion in creating a new state. This was the earliest occasion when a colony rebelled and asserted its own right to self- government and nation-statehood. In the nineteenth century, Spain and Portugal lost their colonies in Latin America, and the British began the grant of self-government to theirs. Sec ond, the United States was imbued with the philosophy that individuals have rights which are prior to government. Equality and liberty were prized, but equality came first. The effect on those Europeans who opposed the traditional order was overwhelming, as in France in 1789. America's republicanism was a further challenge to the monarchies of Europe. So too was the movement toward democracy which gathered speed after 1830 with the transfer of political power to the masses. Thirdly, the form of government established by the Constitution offered a new model. Although the presi dency was not copied, federalism was an invention which European countries could utilize. By and large, the dualism which marked the evolution of America's Revolution exerted contrary attractions on a divided European society. Hamil ton's image of America was appealing to some Europeans, Jefferson's vision to others.