The impact of the American Revolution in France, subject of the new PhD dissertation defended at the Instituto Franklin-UAH
On June 14th, 2024, María Sánchez Castellanos defended her PhD dissertation “European Democracy. The American Revolution and its impact in France,” supervised by Dr. Julio Seoane Pinilla, Associate Professor at the Universidad de Alcalá (UAH). This research falls within the PhD Program of Interdisciplinary North American Studies of the Instituto Franklin-UAH.
The examining board was presided over by Dr. Jaime de Salas, Professor at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Dr. Francisco Sáez de Adana, Professor at the Universidad de Alcalá (UAH), as secretary, and Dr. Jonathan Beall, Associate Professor at the University of North Georgia, as a member of the board. The dissertation was unanimously graded as outstanding (sobresaliente) (if it’s deserving of the cum laude title, it will be notified later on, according to the new regulations).
This research proves the influence the American Revolution had on the French Revolution. Its objective is to clarify the role of the American Revolution, decreasing the bibliographic void left by a Eurocentric historiography that gave a greater role to the French Revolution. Through a comparison of legal texts from both movements and an analysis of the social impact the involvement of France in the American Revolutionary War had on the spreading of the subversive ideology, this research shows an evident influence that can be seen both through the shared philosophical principles of both revolutions and the process of creating new institutions, constitutions, and declarations of rights. As a result, both the influence of the American Revolution on the French one and its role on the causes of its beginning are proved.
María Sánchez Castellanos has a Bachelor’s degree in History from the Universidad de Murcia, studying two of the four years of said degree in universities in the United States (WVU and UNG). After this contact with American history, she began a Master’s degree and PhD in North American Studies at the Instituto Franklin-UAH. She has taught philosophy at the Universidad de Alcalá and has participated as a teacher in the International Studies Program at the Instituto Franklin-UAH. Her area of research is Modern History, with special dedication to the revolutionary processes, and North American history.