Customer Reviews

Not Like Us: How Europeans Have Loved, Hated, and Transformed American Culture Since World War II

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although I found this book a bit wordy, Pells left nothing out. If not sure about the situation between America and Europe after WWII to the present, you will be after reading this book. Background knowledge would be helpful, but not necessary. The length should not turn away readers either, because it turns out to be a quick read. A very informative and comprehensive study and a must read for anyone interested in globalization in the twentieth century.

For those not fortunate enough to attend Richard Pell's classes at the University of Texas, this book is the next best thing. A comprehensive account of the relationship between history and culture. Insightful examination of the effect of not only globalization, but "Americanization" on today's modern world.

As a Texan who first moved to Europe at age 13 in 1961, Pell's book was like reading the story of my life. And yet it made me understand so many things that were always something of a conundrum (such as why the French looked down on everything American in general but adored the Kennedy's) to the sinister goings-on of the McCarthy era (they actually burned books considered subversive in American embassies abroad, such as "works by notorious radicals like Mark Twain and Theodore Dreiser"). I got this book because I wanted to have a better understanding of why the U.S. is where it is today, and it more than filled the bill, in an all-emcompassing way. Thank you, Mr. Pells.

It is an undeniable historical reality that the modern culture of the United States has a huge influence on European culture. Upon visiting Europe, an American effortlessly stumbles upon the familiar vistas of McDonalds, Coca-Cola, and icons of American cinema. To the observer, it must seem like America is molding Europe into a reflection of itself. Richard Pells, however, attempts to disillusion the observer of such notions in this book. As the title suggests, Pells argues that European values and traditions, despite being exposed to the "full force" of American cultural influence, have not changed in any significant way and that Europeans have stayed, by their own decision, "not like us." Pells is writing to convince the reader that the "Americanization" of Europe is, in reality, "a powerful and enduring myth."

Pells' concept of a "cultural empire" is applicable to modern society as well as old empires. Pells remarks that one of the vessels of American cultural empire is European fondness of American technological advancement. For example, Pells explains how the "French had become addicted to technology and consumerism," and they were "passionately in love with `sinks, refrigerators, and microwave ovens'." In another example, Pells describes how German businessmen "began to admire American technology and industrial efficiency" because of trade between the two nations. This spread of tech-culture from America to Europe is remarkably similar to the old European empires spread of their technology to their conquered lands. Daniel Headrick discusses this phenomena is his book Tools of Empire, where he makes the argument that the "true legacy of empire" was the Europeans spread of their "own fascination with machinery and innovation". Lest one forget, the spread of certain Western cultural values, in a way, also has a hand in the destruction of empire. The British Empire, for example, in its quest to uplift people and bring them Enlightenment values, promoted its own destruction. Nations under British control became nationalistic and demanded independence and succession. This fact, coupled with the strain on British society after two world wars, led to its collapse. America, similarly, could collapse from the strain of its wars in the Middle East "to promote democracy" as well as its encouragement of democratic values and independence for nations in the Middle East. Surely, if these nations take these values to heart, an American empire would likely be met with extreme resistance (via modern terrorism, for example).

Pells has written an important and interesting book, and his vast knowledge of the subject matter is admirable. The book helps the reader contextualize the concept of "cultural imperialism" by giving much historical background to the events that helped to promote it. Pells also recognizes that it is a two-way street, and that America is just as affected by European culture as the opposite. Whether one agrees or disagrees, the conclusions will prompt much thought into the role of America in world affairs and raise questions concerning whether or not America can, or even should, maintain its vast empire.