438 The American Revolution & the Fate of the World

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

History, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2026

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if the American Revolution didn't just create the United States, but also created Australia? Most of us learned about the Revolution as a story of thirteen North American colonies pushing back against a distant king. But this episode reveals something far wilder: a genuinely global war whose consequences rippled across every inhabited continent — reshaping empires, forcing migrations, and planting the seeds of more than a hundred declarations of independence that would follow over the next two and a half centuries. Joseph Adelman joins historian Richard Bell to explore the American Revolution as a world war. They discuss: Why the Declaration of Independence was really a Declaration of Interdependence How Hyder Ali, the Muslim ruler of Mysore in southern India, became George Washington's ally by the logic of wartime coalitions How Spain's campaign to recapture Florida tied down thousands of British troops How Britain's convict crisis, caused by losing access to Maryland and Virginia, led to the founding of Australia at Botany Bay. Rick's Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/438 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:06:28 Differences in Perception of the American Revolution00:09:00 Reframing the Declaration of Independence00:17:32 Molly Brandt and Haudenosaunee Diplomacy00:24:38 Baron von Steuben: A Mercenary's Tale00:29:15 The American Revolution: Myth vs. Reality00:35:02 The American Revolution and Florida00:43:39 The American Revolution's Impact on India00:50:24 The Connection Between the American Revolution and Australia00:56:50 Themes of the American Revolution00:59:16 The Time Warp00:62:00 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft🎧 Episode 163: The American Revolution in North America🎧 Episode 238: Benedict Arnold🎧 Episode 348: Valley Forge🎧 Episode 325: Everyday People of the American Revolution🎧 Episode 437: The Home FrontSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.comWHEN YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener Community🌍 Join the History Explorers ClubTAKE THE QUIZ🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)👉 https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quizLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Chris Stewart, and I invite you to come and join us here at the History of China podcast.
0:05.0	We've got it all. Wars with millions on each side to help drive home exactly why you should never get involved in a land war in Asia.
0:11.0	Come along on the Silk Road to partake in its riches. Join the great cons of the steps on campaign.
0:16.0	Ply the seas on treasure ships, or strike out with pirate crews to take their riches for your own.
0:25.0	Experience the sumptuousness of the imperial court behind the guarded gates of the forbidden city. All this and so much more here at the History of China podcast.
0:31.7	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast. Ben Franklin's World is a production of Cleo Digital Media. And support for
0:39.3	this episode comes from the Massachusetts Historical Society, the first historical society founded
0:44.7	in the United States in 1791. By the transitive properties of alliances, the Muslim ruler of
0:51.7	Mysore, Ida Ali, is basically George Washington's ally, or at least they all
0:55.8	have the same enemy, Britain. And Idaar Ali is trying to make a name for himself in the very
1:01.7	competitive market of Indian politics. He's a young ruler with a military background. He sees
1:09.3	himself as a would-be sort of strong man who's much to be feared,
1:13.6	and he sees the chance to capture some British force as the chance to not only expand
1:18.7	Mysore's territory, but make his name as a fearsome ruler who will be able to cow other Indian
1:24.0	rulers to submit to him. He sends 80,000 troops to try to invade British Madras.
1:32.6	And just for comparison of how large a number that is, George Washington has fewer than
1:37.6	10% of that number at Yorktown.
1:55.1	Hello! Hello and welcome to episode 438 of Ben Franklin's World, the podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people and events of our early American past have shaped the present
1:59.9	day world we live in. And I'm your host,
2:02.8	Liz Covert. What if I told you that the American Revolution didn't just create the United States,
2:08.6	it created Australia too? That's not a thought experiment, it's history, and it's one of the most
2:14.0	surprising threads in a story that most of us have only ever been told in pieces.
	...

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