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When we speak of how the American Revolution changed the world it is important that allow ourselves to boil down everything to simple concepts. As a result of this here are the top 3 ways in which the American Revolution changed the world. First, the American Revolution set a precedent for democratic governance in the modern era. Second, the American Revolution forever changed the way in which warfare would be fought in the modern era. Third, the American Revolution paved the way for modern economies of scale that we see today.
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Without further ado; here is how the American Revolution changed the world.
The American Revolution Set Established Democratic Government in the Modern Era
One of the major ways in which the American Revolution changed the world was by establishing the power of democratic governments in the modern era.
For thousands of years, the primary form of government in the world was a mixture of absolutist or republican monarchies. This was because of the efficiency of this type of government to control a population and steer a country. Several philosophical statesmen such as Locke and Hobbs debated the efficiency of a top-down government structure in their works.
However, philosophical work does not carry power inherently. It was up to the people to put this theory in to practice. To build a government that was as efficient as a monarchy but also as flexible and resilient as a democracy. To accomplish this there would have to be a revolution as the kings and queens of Europe would not give up power voluntarily.
This was where the American Revolution came in. For the first time in modern history, a revolution was being fought over the ideology that “all men are created equal.” This statement from the Declaration of Independence is a direct challenge to the governments of old Europe; that the nobility were born with divinely mandated power that automatically made them better than those around them.
As such, the American Revolutionary War was not a war about resources but instead was a war over the role of power in government. Was a government created to serve the people or were the people intended to serve the government?
This war was the turning point in world order. After the American colonists won their independence from Great Britain other groups of people started to look towards them for inspiration. It is no coincidence that the American Revolutionary War ended in 1783 and the French Revolution started only 6 years later.
The American Revolution Forever Changed How Warfare Would Be Fought in the Modern Era
The American Revolution marked the end of the late medieval style of warfare and the birth of modern fast-paced warfare.
For nearly 300 years the British army fought against other professional armies of Europe. As such the British Army had some of the best equipment, tactics, and leadership of any army in Europe. However, what they didn’t have was 200 years of experience fighting in the dense forests of the Americas. This would prove to be their downfall as the riffling equipment of the modern era had progressed to the point that allowed rapid engagement and movement; the perfect tactic for a defensive guerrilla war.
Further, the British army of the 18th century was built around strict discipline. Soldiers followed orders given by officers without hesitation. Normally this would prove ideal but in the hectic battles of the American Revolutionary War this proved to be difficult as officers were targeted by American sharpshooters.
What came out of this was a perfect storm against the British army. For the first time, the nearly unstoppable British army was up against an invisible enemy in a foreign land. Further, the colonists had been fighting to protect their land in the form of militias and as a result had ample experience navigating the dense forests of the Americas.
With the aid of new riffled long barrels, the American colonists were capable of picking off British officers at nearly twice the distance of the average British infantryman (300M to the British 100M). A trained colonial sharpshooter could move within firing distance and engage the British officer from behind a tree without being seen. After this, the regiment could move to engage from a different position before the British had time to react.
This new type of warfare was completely different from what the British Army was used to. With a breakdown of officer leadership and the lack of experience in engaging in guerilla warfare the superior British Army was often beaten in battles they should have won.
The world was watching this method of fighting. The American Revolutionary War changed the world by showing the power of lightning-fast warfare using the latest military technology. After the American Revolutionary War major wars over the next 200 years, all employed a similar method to fighting wars; a fast-paced/lighting war coupled with the latest in military technology.
The American Revolution Paved The Way For The Modern Economies of Scale That We See Today
One of the major ways in which the American Revolution changed the world was by paving the way for the modern economies of scale that we see today.
Before the American Revolution, many countries were limited by several variables such as labor pools, natural resources, bureaucracy, or politics. All of these factors helped to limit the scale at which an economy could grow.
The American Revolution was really an American experience of how to build a modern economy that was centered around scaling as efficiently and quickly as possible. In order for this to happen the United States would need a large labor pool, ample resources, and a political climate that allowed businesses to progress unhindered.
What came out of this was a new type of economy that allowed rapid innovation in the name of capital generation. Shortly after the American Revolution the United States started to become an agricultural powerhouse and massive amounts of wealth started to pool in the American South.
At the same time that this was happening the American North started to become a manufacturing and trading center with low-interest business loans and immigrants arriving from overseas to start their new life in the United States.
Over the span of a century, the United States had one of the fastest-growing economies. As a result of this many other countries in Europe started to copy the model of the United States and adapt it to make it their own.
As such one of the major ways in which the American Revolution changed the world was by allowing economies of scale to start to build. This has allowed businesses across the world to be able to innovate and generate capital as quickly as possible.
Conclusion
There you have it; the major ways in which the American Revolution changed the world.
As always we could spend countless hours debating the many ways in which the American Revolution changed the world. However, to save time I have condensed it down to 3 actionable concepts; the change of government, the change in warfare, and the change in economies. The American Revolution marks a shift in eras and is the result of the new modern area being ushered in.
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