What do British history books teach about the US Revolutionary War?
Good question…I think it depends partly on when you’re learning in the UK. For example-at school we learnt little about the revolutionary wars, mostly relating to things like the Boston Tea Party and some elements of the war itself. But by and large there was little about what it actually meant for the British Empire at that time. If you study British history at University/College you get a slightly different perspective. We looked much more at the economic impact of being in control of the colonies and their gradual strain on the British economy. In many cases losing elements of the colonies to a rival power was economically a blessing in disguise as it meant there was less need for the Empire to support failing economies in certain areas. On the other hand, the impact of losing the vast areas of land and natural resources of the US, as well as the gains made by the French at the same time, were politically and economically problematic. We also learnt a little about the aristocracy
