French help was the single most important factor in determining the outcome of the War of Independence. Secret French assistance sustained the drive to declare independence in 1776 and further—and greater—aid from Versailles in 1777 was a key factor in the rebel victory at Saratoga. With the American economy in ruins after 1778, it is inconceivable that the rebels could have waged war for three additional campaigns without a French ally, unless they had shifted almost entirely to guerrilla warfare.
