The French Made It

The Revolution's success leaned heavily on foreign intervention. France supplied money, weapons, soldiers, and — crucially — a navy. The decisive Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was won because French warships blocked British reinforcement by sea while French and American troops trapped General Cornwallis on land. Without France, the rebellion would likely have failed.

Spain and the Netherlands also joined against Britain, stretching its navy thin. Victory came at a steep price for France: the war helped bankrupt the monarchy, and that bankruptcy fed the French Revolution six years later.