zlacker

The American Revolution produced first a weak Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, then changed their government in 1787 and the new constitution and... well, the most substantive change to that government was the 12th amendment that changed the electoral college procedures.

Compare this to France, which went like this (not counting the smaller regimes):

* Absolute monarchy (ancien regime)

* Constitutional monarchy (until Louis XVII flees)

* First Republic

* First Empire (Napoleon seizes power)

* Constitutional monarchy

* Constitutional monarchy #2 (July Monarchy)

* Second Republic

* Second Empire (different Napoleon seizes power)

* Third Republic (only because the monarchists couldn't decide on which branch to restore, and agreed to a republic until one of the contenders died... who took an awfully long time to do so)

* Vichy France (after the Fall of France)

* Free French government-in-exile

* Fourth Republic

* Fifth Republic (the one we're on today)

Quite a stark contrast.