France had a revolution in 1789, the same year that the U.S. form of government began in earnest, because their king spent all the country's money on things like supporting the American revolution; an exquisite irony. The French revolutionaries looked to the U.S. as an example of liberalism. Back then, liberalism was getting free of Kings, potentates, and the church; supposedly putting The People in charge through democracy. Those who believed in the power of an aristocracy sat on the right of the king, and those who thought their leaders should be democratically elected sat on the left. The liberal revolution played out over the Western World, however, the United States was first and took it one step further; not only did we overthrow our sovereign, but our concept of individual liberty made every person their own sovereign, whereas the French idea of liberalism stopped at usurping the power of The Crown to The People; the French still assumed decisions would be made by those elected
