Freemasonry and the French Revolution

"The news of the formation of Grand Lodge and the activities of th English Freemasons spread quickly throughout Europe. By the 1730s, masonic lodges had been formed in the Netherlands, France, Germany, the Austrian Empire, several of the Italian states, Spain and Sweden. Many of them were formed directly by representatives of English Grand Lodge who travelled to the foreign country for this purpose; others were formed independently of Grand Lodge by local residents, but under the inspiration of the English example" (Jasper Ridley, The Freemasons, page 47).