How Did The American Revolution Affect Great Britain

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The Impacts of the American Revolution on Great Britain
When it comes time for you to write the fall of the British Empire, I will gladly supply you with the great many documents in my possession.- Benjamin Franklin. The impacts of America today are both wide, and numerous, and they have been for as long as the country has existed. The effects of the American Revolution rippled both far and wide, perhaps no more so than in Great Britain. On average, empires only last for 250, so GReat BRitian was approaching its expiration date. With an already damaged economy and a population tired of war, Britain was sure to be affected by the revolution, and it was. The American Revolution affected the English economy, diplomatic relations, and territories; …show more content…

At the height of it’s power The British Empire covered a quarter of the land on Earth, and a fifth of Earth’s population were citizens. These statistics have declined significantly, and one great factor of this is loss of diplomatic power. When America won independence, Britain was no longer able to use their overwhelming strength to coerce opponents. While the British Empire enjoyed preeminent economic and military strength, the American Revolution diminished its strength. Historians believe that one major reason for this was that the American Revolution showed that Britain could be defeated on the battlefield and at sea.. Without the hammer that Britain could raise as a threat, it could no longer simply dominate negotiations with enemy forces. At the same time, Britain's shipping was vulnerable because of the amount of merchant ships converted into war ships; loss of colonies decreased production. This exposed the jugular of Britain, to be very nearly ripped out by Napoleon less than a decade later. The amount of respect the Britain lost by losing a civil war was enormous and resulted in a weakened position at the negotiating