Discussion Topic The significance of the American Revolution to world history cannot be emphasized enough. As the first successful independence movement of a European colony, the rebellion helped shape the thoughts of other, later movements. Think for a moment about how history would have been changed if the American Revolution hadn’t happened. Do you think there was anything the colonists or the British government could have done differently to avoid the revolution? What would our world possibly look like today if the original 13 colonies hadn’t rebelled?