6. The American War of Independence and Jean-Jacques Necker

The thing about quick and easy wars is that they are never quick, nor easy...

Music:
- Vivaldi's Winter
- A. Copland - Appalachian Spring - Conducted by Leonard Bernstein - New York Philharmonic Orchestra - 1997

All Images from Wikimedia Creative Commons

Sources:
- American Revolutions: A Continental History: 1750 - 1804 - Alan Taylor
- A Social History of France (2004) - Peter McPhee
- Liberty or Death (2016) - Peter McPhee
- The French Revolution (1980) - Christopher Hibbert
- The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution - Bernard Bailyn
- The Life of Louis XVI (2016) - John Hardman
- The Role of Spain in the American Revolution: An Unavoidable Mistake - Jose I. Yaniz

[channdler]

so far this series is honestly some of the best historical content on youtube. and I spend most of my time on youtube watching history. Thank you so much for the genuinely insane level of detail.

[thebakerofbananabread]

I love the fact that you use Mount and blade warband: Napoleonic Wars background noises at the start of the video 😆

[BaronsHistoryTimes]

First-class.... I can imagine this as a TV history series special with you hosting it - if you had that budget.
So now so far I have a good basic understanding of how crucial the French role was - and the cost, in the starting stages of the United States.
Your little sneak-ins of Brit humour are a nice touch.

[SBattisonPortfolioChannel]

"There is no war in ba sing see* who else got this?

[SIERRATREES]

Thnk you for your pithy insightful work on this subject, I love it. Necker fascinates me, being a man of many facets. I believe he was the first public figure to really push the idea that the government should be responsible for the welfare of all people, ( unlike the free market Physiocrats ) and Karl Marx used his work. On the Compte du Rendu, I'm not sure its fair to say he cooked the books, Yes, the accounts showed a surplus, excluding abnormal war costs, but that was all clearly disclosed so that any reader could make their own adjustments. The Compte du Rendu was a remarkable effort, where Necker had searched tirelessly through the complex labyrinths of Treasury offices and separate fiscal departments to compile first ever meaningful set of consolidated national accounts. Necker had a viable plan to steer France out of debt but it rested on a knifes edge and assumed that he would have solid ongoing ministerial support, something that didn't happen. Furthermore, he strongly advised against entering the American war, as did Turgot, but the war cabinet always seemed to win out.

[mango]

Necker was a modern Nicolas Fouquet, lending his own money to the government while also being Finance Minister. That had been one of the charges against Fouquet in his trial, but it seems to have been legal by Neckers time. This time, people like him had the upper hand though because they were needed to repair a financial crisis. When he resigned in 1790. there were 2 million livres in the treasury, and he took 25% of that with him to Geneva.

[danwroy]

Your description of the American colonial tea tax is very strange. The Tea Partiers were protesting the Tea Act, which did not affect the pre-existing tea tax at all; it just removed duties for the British East India Company. I guess your way of describing it is a clever circumlocution but possibly misleading. (Should admit I'm basically a novice on this topic.)

[Leonard-lfyl]

What are the 'flower wars' you speak of at 7:53?

[Over-Boy]

The american revolution has a far more precise starting point and ending point then the french revolution does.

[anypercentdeathless]

"tis the gift to be free" 
Nice foreshadowing.