The European nations were still the nations which US had the strongest ties to, especially Britain. At the beginning of World War I, the Americans kept at a distance, but gave financial help to the British and French armies. Eventually, the Americans were forced into the war, after the German sinking of passenger ships with American citizens. The Allies won the war, and USA was once again facing a prosperous future, being the richest and most powerful nation in the world.
World War I wasn’t the only war the Americans got involved in. Also in World War II and the Vietnam War, American soldiers participated. Some of these soldiers spent many years abroad, and in some way or another, they left an imprint of the American culture behind when they went back to the land of the free.
The arrival of television had a great impact on the whole world. News from the other side of the world could flash into television-screens in every corner of the world. Being involved in conflicts all over the world, the USA often appeared in these news broadcasts. And this was only the beginning of the Americanization.
As things calmed down in the world society, and technology and economy improved, the USA became more and more a nation of entertainers. Hollywood films could be seen all over the world and television producers “invented” the soap opera. This brought the American every day life into the homes of people all over the world, especially in Europe.
During he century, great business companies like the Coca Cola Company and Levi’s had grown. Their products were exported to every corner of the world, and with time, the hamburger and the Barbie doll had joined them. American lifestyle was to be found all over the world.
What are the affects of this Americanization, one might ask. Well, I won’t deny that it may have strengthened the global society (as well as the American economy…), by giving people from all over the world something in common. In our modern society, you can’t easily spot a Norwegian among thousands of Americans, nor the other way. On the other hand, this might also be a threat to a nation’s individuality – the great mixture of cultures leaves little space for the growth of a nation’s own cultural heritage.
