Americanisation in 20th Century Europe: business, culture, politics. Volume 2

This volume makes an important contribution to debates about American interactions with Europe in the Twentieth Century. It interrogates current understandings of ‘Americanisation’ and aims to produce new and fruitful departures for future research and discussion. The approach adopted uses the broadest possible view of American influence, encompassing the whole of the micro-economic sphere, and including not only companies, but also consumers and business cultures in general. Taken together, the individual chapters confirm the importance of the US as a reference point for European businesses and consumers. At the same time, they cast fresh light on the complexity of the ‘Americanisation’ process, which was always more than a simple one-sided transfer or ‘export’ of ideas, and also point to the multiplicity of outcomes, ranging from outright rejection to the more usual selective acceptance. Above all, they reinforce the view that ‘Americanisation’ was a social phenomenon, involving real people in specific contexts, whether at company, industry or societal level, and motives that ranged all the way from the idealistic to the venal.