Is Europe Being Americanized?
Nowadays, globalization reached its peak. We are becoming more and more connected
through social media and everything is more accessible than it was before. The boundaries are
losing their importance and we are accepting other cultures as they are accepting ours.
America, as the leading world’s force, has spread all over the world but had the strongest
impact on Europe. Many cultural, economic and political chances appeared under its impact,
so it is not surprising that it was easily accepted. Since that has taken place very fast, people
do not know how to deal with.
Europeans should be aware of American cultural influence that is on the rise and therefore
threatening the preservation of their own culture.
Everyone bears in mind their first concurrence with America, even if it was reading
Hemingway’s “Old man and the Sea” or buying tickets and waiting in a row to watch
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. The Golden Age of Hollywood had also the great influence on the
European culture, people were waiting for hours to buy a ticket and watch the movie. Popular
American actors, such as Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Ava Gardner, became ideal, so
people started behaving and dressing like them.
Also, American journalism has taken an important part in cultural life of Europeans. Their
famous magazines, such as The New York Times, became very popular in Europe.
The World War II had a huge impact on the situation in Europe and affected all citizens.
During the war, American soldiers did not just provide help in the form of weapon, but they
also left many other clues. For example, many people that were in contact with them learned
the language, the customs, but the most important liked and started to adapt their lifestyle.
After the war, almost everything was destroyed, many people lost their families, friends, and
homes. Most of them started to look for new opportunities and new lives. Emigrations were
massive. Millions of people were leaving their destroyed homelands hoping that they would
start a new life somewhere in a better place.
Americanization contributed some changes in European education. Today, almost every
student is able to speak English and has it as a mandatory subject in the school. Some
American colleges have their campuses in European countries, so students are able to study
there. Also, some European colleges have taken some American aspects of education. For
example, some universities in Britain began testing American grading system with the
intention to improve estimation of student creativity and possibilities for achievements. But
many were not satisfied with that decision since they found that as a threat to traditional
British educational system. As Hodges (2014) wrote, “Still, some academics are opposed to
the change, as are some universities — notably Oxford and Cambridge, in part because a first–
class degree from them is a social marker of significant achievement, held by high-profile
figures including Prime Minister David Cameron.“ , there are some against the change.
Furthermore, Americanization played a huge role in changing European business. Although
countries integrated since World War II, there are still some difficulties that appear while they
are cooperating. For example, some of the companies are willing to take American style-
approach to business while others find it completely unnecessary. Also, in most European
countries, the government is involved in controlling and running the business but in America
it is hard to barge in. As Porter (2013) points out, “Rather, labor markets in Southern Europe
