Basement Whatever

Reading Wikipedia articles from other countries is a good way to escape local propaganda and myth making, because other countries lack the incentives that your country does to prop up narratives. Just go to a foreign language Wikipedia site, use an automated translation service on it, and read it. Common examples are foreign countries’ perceptions of the American revolution, the American Civil War, and American political controversies.

For example, French Wikipedia paints the American Revolution as a violent and treasonous riot that started when Britain required the colonies to pay for their own defense, with opposition that only continued because France and Spain funded the colonists to get revenge on Britain for the Seven Years’ War. The American colonists responded by drafting the constitution for a new country based on the ideals of the Enlightenment, and failed with their first go round. Translated from French Wikipedia:

The American Revolution is a period of political changes after 1763 in the thirteen British colonies of North America, which gave rise to the American War of Independence against Great Britain, with the help of France. The founding episode of the American nation and the birth of the United States, the revolution was manifested by violence against the British authorities, a war against English troops and social unrest.

More here.