The paradoxes of the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin during the American Revolution

This thesis analyzes Benjamin Franklin's diplomacy from 1776 to 1783 as a series of paradoxes. It demonstrates that although Franklin's popularity among the French, his web of personal connections, and his philosophy that rejected the belief in "American exceptionalism" contributed to his diplomatic success, these factors fueled criticisms against him by Americans who benefited from Franklin's achievements. King Louis XVI provided support for the American Revolution to reduce British power and capitalize on the popularity of Franklin and the American Revolution within France, but the financial drain on his treasury and the enthusiasm for the ideals of the American Revolution contributed to a revolution in France that cost him his throne and his life. The iconography commissioned by members of the French aristocracy to show support for Franklin and the American Revolution was later adopted by French revolutionaries to destroy many of these aristocrats who had supported the American Revolution.