Question

How did the success of the American Revolution contribute to the French Revolution?

A.) It led the French to seek an alliance with the Americans to dethrone Louis XVI.

B.) It inspired the French to launch their own revolution for liberty and equality.

C.) It encouraged the French to adopt the government system of popular sovereignty.

D.) It caused many French nobles and clergy to move to the newly independent United States.

E.) It made the French vulnerable to attacks, invasions, and threats from the United States.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. The French were inspired by the success of the American Revolution and decided to revolt against their corrupt government.

Answer 2

The correct answer is:

B.) It inspired the French to launch their own revolution for liberty and equality.

When American colonists won independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, the French, who participated in the war themselves, were both close allies and key participants. They were inspired by the American fight against a taxation system they found discriminating and unfair, and their battle against absolutism and unequal rights.

Although the Enlightenment ideological movement started in Europe and wasn’t new to the French, it shaped the American Revolution, and many believe, went on to inspire the French Revolution as well.