To Wood, the major catalyst for this change was the American Revolution, which he describes as “one of the greatest revolutions the world has known, …show more content…
In “Modernization and the Modern Personality in Early America, 1600-1865” (1972), Richard Brown agrees that the American Revolution played a prominent role in America’s long-term social development. The two historians also share a similar description of the British colonies seemingly paradoxical traditional/modern society. Brown views modern elements in widespread political participation and the reduced distribution of wealth, while associating decentralized government, a lack of formal institutions, and an economy based in agriculture as more