The Power of CULTURE.

• Author: SUDO, PHIL
• Position: Brief Article

Travel almost anywhere in the world today and you will see signs of American culture. Titanic in Taiwan. McDonald's in Mexico. Blue jeans in Bulgaria. Jazz clubs in Japan. From movies to music to fashion to food, the popularity of U.S. culture has put an indelible stamp on the globe in this century.

One hundred years ago, the U.S. took its cultural cues from abroad, particularly Europe. But lacking a cultural tradition of its own, historians say, the U.S. turned its youth into an advantage. The flood of immigrants brought a collision of cultures and ideas. New technologies such as radio and movies created mass communication. A uniquely American popular culture emerged, designed to appeal to diverse people from different backgrounds.

When Americans fought overseas in two World Wars, the war-ravaged peoples of Europe and Asia took a liking to their style and attitude. Postwar U.S. occupying forces played pickup baseball games, danced the latest dances, shared tokens of...