Source: Comte de Vergennes, French Foreign Minister, memorandum to King Louis XVI, 1776:
'Indeed, if the French government does not prevent the English from crushing the rebellion, it will lose the most favorable opportunity to reduce the power of England and to raise France to the level of greatness she deserves... Supporting the insurgent colonies will not only drain British resources but will secure for France a grateful commercial partner in the New World.'
The strategic reasoning expressed in the excerpt most directly motivated France to take which of the following actions during the Revolutionary War?
- AAttempting to intervene in British colonial policy to prevent the passage of the Stamp Act and early imperial taxation measures.
- BConditioning French financial assistance on the creation of a strong, centralized national government under the United States Constitution.
- Forming a military alliance and commercial treaty with the United States after the Battle of Saratoga proved American resilience.Cevap
- DCollaborating with the Federalist political faction to negotiate a joint commercial treaty with Great Britain.
Cevap
Forming a military alliance and commercial treaty with the United States after the Battle of Saratoga proved American resilience.
The strategic reasoning in the memorandum demonstrates that France sought to weaken its chief global rival, Great Britain, by supporting the American rebellion. This goal was officially realized when France entered a formal military and commercial alliance with the United States in 1778, which occurred shortly after the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga demonstrated that the colonists had a viable chance of winning the war.
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The French Alliance and the turning point of the Revolutionary War