I assume it’s largely due to stuff such as their stinking rich economy before WW1, first language being english, population size, propaganda etc. but I’ve never seen a succinct explanation as to how the country basically became the absolute cultural giants they are today.
You basically cannot escape the USA and their influence everywhere you go, and in a sense they have overtaken us over here in the UK in terms of cultural relevance. Why isn’t this the case for other English speaking countries such as Australia and Canada?
Edit: Using the term ‘In a sense’ has riled up quite a few people. Yes, the USA is definitely far more culturally relevant than the UK nowadays.
Second Edit: Thank you all for your replies! I’ve learned quite a lot tonight 🙂
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The US became an economic and military power first, and then the cultural power followed. This is true for most or all historic “cultural powers”.
The US became an economic and military power over the 19th and 20th centuries, especially during the World Wars, where they suffered significantly less direct infrastructure and population damage than many other nations, and therefore were in a position to establish themselves as a frontrunner.
I’d say it’s a mix of:
1) Being THE global power since WW2
2) The power of Hollywood
3) Most modern tech originating in the US (from the internet to smart phones to big tech)
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It was movies and Hollywood, followed by music (invented jazz, blues, rock and roll, rap), foreign policy, literature (Fitzgerald, Hemingway) and finally visual art (Warhol, Pollock, Hopper), sports (Jordan and dream team) and then internet/tech
It’s the most economically powerful country in the world with the largest military
It rebuilt Europe after WWII
A VERY big reason is WWII, and to a lesser extent WWI. In both WWI and WWII large numbers of US troops went to Europe. That spread US culture to Europe, like a sudden mass immigration. After WWII the political & economic power of the US combined with the continued presence of US troops in Europe (and Japan, really) helped solidify the influence of US culture.
– Large population size (3rd globally)
– Economic powerhouse with massive industrial base with access to abundant natural resources
– Large information / entertainment industry that has exported cultural content since the dawn of mass media
– High concentration of elite universities graduating movers-and-shakers who have permeated global commerce
– Global economic thought-leader in post Bretton Woods era
Capitalism (which enabled the entertainment industry), marketing and immigration.
Come to the USA to make your fortune, take a chance, build a new life.
One other thing that hasn’t really been touched on is software development and technology, and its influence on why the English language has become a secondary language in many parts of the world.
Coding languages are based off a written alphabetical and spelling syntax, so all the words that makes up coding commands need to be based off a written real language. A lot of coding and programming development through the 20th century came from the US, so naturally it’s in English. Other countries looking to use the technology needed to be able to understand the code, so it’s either ask the Americans nicely to translate it for them (lol, lmao even), or learn the language.
It’s not as major as the other causes discussed in the thread, especially both World Wars, but it’s at least interlinked with those.
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