Thomas Paine, one of the most effective propagandists of all time, contributed mightily to the establishment of the United States as an independent nation through his 'Common Sense' and 'The American Crisis.' Later he helped support the revolutionary cause in France and defended human freedom in England in his 'Rights of Man.' In 'The Age of Reason' he sought to save France from atheism, urging the acceptance of a religion agreeable to the rational nature of man. He spent his last years in the United States, attacked violently by all the forces of conservatism and traditional religion. Since his death in 1809, however, hostility toward him has gradually disappeared, and public appreciation increased. Illustrative of the continuing interest in his works is the recent reprinting of the 'Age of Reason' in an edition of 100,000 and the translation of the 'Rights of Man' into Russian.