Answer: Britain had become the major power in Europe and the rest of the world
Explanation:
Still smarting from its defeat in the Seven Years’ War and loss of colonies worldwide, including much of Canada, France saw America’s rebellion as an opportunity for revenge—and to re-establish part of its own empire at British expense. The wily Comte de Vergennes, France’s foreign minister, urged Louis XVI to support the Americans, arguing that “providence had marked out this moment for the humiliation of England.”
French participation transformed what might otherwise have been a lopsided colonial rebellion into a significant war, with potential to become another global conflict. The British, it turned out, had little appetite for this—especially when other European powers such as Spain and the Dutch Republic proved willing to support the colonists. The geopolitical calculus made it difficult for British legislators to accept the prospect of a prolonged, costly and global battle.
