The French playwright who saved the American Revolution

Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French playwright Who Saved the American Revolution, a conversation with Suffolk University historian Robert Alison and Iris De Rode. In 1776, the playwright and inventor Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799) conceived an audacious plan to send aid to the American rebels. What’s more, he convinced King Louis XVI to bankroll the project and single-handedly carried it out. By war’s end, he had supplied Washington’s army with most of its weapons and powder, though he was never paid or acknowledged by the United States. To some, he was a dashing hero, a towering intellect who saved the American Revolution. To others, he was a pure rogue, a double-dealing adventurer who stopped at nothing to advance his fame and fortune. In fact, he was both, and more: an advisor to kings, an arms dealer, and an author of some of the most enduring works of the stage, including The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville. Now in paperback, Improbable Patriot introduces readers to an unrecognized power player in the Revolutionary War. 00:00 Quote from Iris De Rode 00:26 Introduction 08:11 Discussion Discover more about our partner here: https://sites.suffolk.edu/fordhallforum/ GBH Forum Network ~ Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas Follow us on social media:   / gbhforumnetwork     / gbhforumnetwork   https://x.com/GBHForumNetwork Browse our extensive video library, see our partners and sign up for our newsletter, "Good Talks," on the GBH website: https://www.wgbh.org/forum-network