There is no question that the French were attempting to restructure the Balance of Power with Britain after the Seven Years’ War by peeling off the Anglo-American colonies. Unfortunately, the American War spread into a wider (more global) conflict, with France loosing much of its precarious foothold among the rich trading markets of India and elsewhere. Moreover, the American Revolution shattered the last vestiges of the Divine Right of Kings, and opened the world to the idea of government of the people.
The French went so far in debt pursuing this strategy that the result is often considered a cause of the French Revolution. France was the most populous country in Europe, and crop failures in much of the country in 1788, coming on top of a long period of economic difficulties, compounded existing restlessness. The French people saw that a revolt could be successful – even against a major military power – and lasting change was possible. Many experts argue that this gave them the motivation to rebel.
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