About this episode

Richard Bell discusses the global implications and strategies of the American Revolution.

Richard Bell, historian, professor at the University of Maryland, and author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, joins School of War to discuss how the American Revolution became a global conflict that stretched from Boston to the Caribbean, Europe, India, and beyond. How did George Washington's strategy force Britain to fight a world war? Why was France's intervention decisive to American victory? And what does the revolution reveal about the nature of coalition warfare? 00:53 - Rick Bell's background 02:05 - The American Revolution was a global war 06:09 - What led to the Boston Tea Party 12:45 - Patriot motivations 14:38 - Who was Edmund Burke? 16:50 - Britain divided over the Revolution 20:47 - Why France backed the Patriots 23:45 - France and Spain vs. Britain 27:01 - The Caribbean: Britain's crown jewel 30:08 - The forgotten theater of the Revolution 35:49 - Washington's global coalition strategy 38:55 - Germany and the Hessian soldiers 41:50 - The Patriots' European officers 43:10 - The myth of guerrilla warfare 44:50 - Final thoughts Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find more at The Free Press. Learn more…

People in this episode

Guest: Richard Bell

Topics covered

• American Revolution
• global conflict
• coalition warfare
• historical strategy
• French intervention
• Patriot motivations

Keywords

• American Revolution
• global war
• George Washington
• France
• coalition strategy
• Boston Tea Party
• Patriots
• Edmund Burke

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Maryland, France, Spain

Books & works: The American Revolution and the Fate of the World

Places: Boston, Caribbean, Europe, India, Germany

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