The Failure of Empire Subtitle: Why is there an America Series: Empire Trilogy Author: Zheng Fei

Your Understanding of the American Revolution May Be Wrong!

The American Revolution was not a war of national liberation but a challenge from the periphery to the center, and even more so a clear evidence of the failure of the British Empire's rule.

Break away from the cognitive trap of the shameful historical perspective and re-understand the roots and process of American independence.

※The American Revolution was not a war of national liberation, reversing the outdated perception of American independence

The American Revolution was a strange one. “In other revolutions, men have drawn their swords to defend liberties that have been violated, to resist oppression that threatens the very core of society.” But it’s hard to say that the American Revolution was caused by this.

Whether it is measured by per capita tax burden, height of residents, living standards, income level, and direct and indirect economic burdens imposed on North America by British trade regulations, the British rule in North America was not harsh. On the contrary, it can be said to be a model of good governance. The North American people at that time generally recognized Britain.

So, why did North America become independent? This is a question worth answering. To answer this question, we need to change two old ideas: we should not regard North American independence as a rebellion of the colonies against the empire, but should see that the American Revolution was actually a British civil war. North American independence was not the cause or purpose of the war, but only the result of the civil war; the American Revolution should be considered from the overall environment of the British Empire.

※The empire is divided, jumping ship from the edge, challenging the center

Rather than saying that the American Revolution was an uprising against tyranny, it would be better to say that it was an action of "jumping ship". From the root, the reason why North Americans were alienated was that they were not confident about British rule.

The corruption and malpractices of British domestic politics led to the loss of legitimacy of the rule. In the 18th century, Britain was undergoing political and social transformation. The struggle between constitutional monarchy and parliamentary system, the rise of mass society and mass politics, calls for political reform and social movements were destroying the confidence of the colonial people in British politics. Until 1775, the colonists were certain that they were in a constitutional crisis caused by political and social corruption. This crisis mentality greatly affected their judgment of Britain's colonial policies.

※The empire's structure is unstable, the response is inappropriate, and conflicts are imminent

The political structure of the British Empire has serious flaws, which have triggered conflicts between North America and Britain. Britain and the United States have been looking for a legitimate way to meet each other's needs within the framework of the empire. They have considered several plans, but these plans have encountered serious difficulties and cannot be implemented. Due to the flaws in the constitutional structure, the room for compromise between North America and Britain has been reduced, and sensitivity and vulnerability have increased.

The British response was inappropriate. Although the king and the ministers did not necessarily have evil intentions, their response was not good. First, they avoided the real political issues and simply attributed the American issues to the ambitions of a small group of people, vulgarizing the political conflict. Second, after the conflict became explicit, they implemented a "marginal policy" and turned the political struggle into a "zero-sum" one. These actions and strategies seriously worsened the situation.

【Content Introduction】

The American Revolution was a strange revolution. It had no direct cause of oppression, and the reasons for its outbreak were complex but rational. Why couldn't the British rulers at the time keep their own country? Why did the colonies eventually choose independence? The Fall of Empire describes the political deliberations of Britain and the United States before the American Revolutionary War, pointing out that the American Revolutionary War was actually a civil war in the British Empire, and the result of the civil war was the division of the British Empire. The Fall of Empire shows readers the uniqueness of the American Revolution in all aspects through an analysis of the governance structure of the North American colonies and the crisis caused by the British Empire's imperial reform movement after the Seven Years' War.

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