In Our Time: History

The Franco-American Alliance 1778


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the treaties France entered into with the United States of America in 1778, to give open support to the USA in its revolutionary war against Britain and to promote French trade across the Atlantic. This alliance had profound consequences for all three. The French navy, in particular, played a decisive role in the Americans’ victory in their revolution, but the great cost of supporting this overseas war fell on French taxpayers, highlighting the need for reforms which in turn led to the French Revolution. Then, when France looked to its American ally for support in the new French revolutionary wars with Britain, Americans had to choose where their longer term interests lay, and they turned back from the France that had supported them to the Britain they had just been fighting, and France and the USA fell into undeclared war at sea.

The image above is a detail of Bataille de Yorktown by Auguste Couder, with Rochambeau commanding the French expeditionary force in 1781

With

Frank Cogliano

Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh

Kathleen Burk

Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London

And

Michael Rapport

Reader in Modern European History at the University of Glasgow

Producer: Simon Tillotson

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our Time: HistoryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,800 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: History

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,403 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,832 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,700 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,204 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

511 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,790 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,080 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

275 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

958 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,948 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,040 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

591 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

707 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

279 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

860 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

587 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,639 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

811 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,982 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

2,944 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,483 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,717 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

1,937 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,007 Listeners