Transatlantic Tensions: Europe and America's Cultural Divide Through History

A 500-Year Perspective
Covers cultural and intellectual exchanges between Europe and America from the Enlightenment to the post-Cold War, offering an unparalleled long view rarely found in existing titles.

Focus on Cultural Elites
Shows how European cultural and intellectual elites shaped perceptions of America as “the other,” providing a fresh lens on how cultural authority influenced political and social attitudes.

Bridging Culture and International Relations
Goes beyond political events to explore how film, music, media, and mass consumption became battlegrounds of identity—making the book valuable across multiple disciplines (history, IR, cultural studies, sociology).

Recognized Scholarship
Winner of major academic awards in China and selected as one of the top history books of its year, now made accessible to international readers for the first time in English.

Timely and Relevant
With renewed debates on soft power, cultural influence, and global perceptions of the U.S., the book offers essential historical context for today’s discussions about identity and power in international affairs.

Introduction 
I. Definition of Anti-Americanism and Significance of Its Studies 
II. Main Views of American Scholars on Anti-Americanism 
III. Main Views of Non-American Scholars on Anti-Americanism 
IV. Basic Ideas of the Study in This Book 
Chapter 1 The Theory of American Degeneracy: the Cultural Roots of European Anti-Americanism
I. Europeans’ Prejudice against the New Continent in the Age of Enlightenment 
II. Main Contents of Buffon’s Theory of American Degeneracy 
III. Development and Improvement of the Theory of American Degeneracy
IV. Influence of Buffon’s Theory of American Degeneracy 
Chapter 2  Illusory Image: The American View of Early European Intellectual Elites 
I. Roots of European Elites’ Shaping an American “Other” Image 
II. European Elites’ Understanding of American Culture 
III. European Elites’ Criticism of American Culture 
IV. European Elites’ Negation of the American Regime 
Chapter 3 Anti-Modernity: Criticism of the American Way of Life by European Elites 
I. The Rise of the United States and the Formation of Mass Consumption Lifestyle 
II. Spread of American Modern Mass Consumption Lifestyle in Europe 
III. The American Threat Theory in the Writings of European Left- and Right-Wing Literati 
IV. Imaginary Opposition between European Civilization and American Civilization 
Chapter 4 The Threat of “Machine Civilization”: Europeans’ Criticism and Resistance 
I. The Concept of Americanization and Its Application in Studies 
II. Early Americanization of European Countries and Its Influence 
III. The Spread of American “Rationalized” Management Methods in Europe 
IV. The Deepening of Americanization and Europeans’ Resistance 
Chapter 5 The Spread of American Entertainment Culture and Europe’s Boycott 
I. The Spread and Influence of American Early Entertainment Culture in Europe 
II. The Spread of Jazz in Europe and Resistance to It 
III. Hollywood’s Invasion and Influence on the European Film Market 
IV. Europe’s Boycott against Hollywood Films 
Chapter 6 The Upsurge of European Anti-Americanism during the Cold War 
I. Factors for the Deepening of Americanization in the Post-war Europe
II. Manifestation of Intensifying Americanization of European Countries after World War II 
III. European Cultural Elites’ Worries about the Disappearance of Traditions 
IV. The Upsurge of Anti-American Sentiment in Europe 
Chapter 7  Resistance to American Entertainment Culture in the Post-War Europe 
I. The Hegemony of Hollywood Films and Restrictions on Them 
II. The Threat of American Television as a Mass Media 
III. Spread of Other American Entertainment Forms and Resistance to Them 
IV. “Cultural Exception” and the Resistance of the European Community/the European Union to Americans Films and TV Shows 
Chapter 8 The Rise of Anti-Americanism in Europe in the Post-Cold War Era 
I. The Rise of America’s Power to Dominate International Affairs after the Cold War 
II. The Upsurge of Anti-American Sentiment in Europe 
III. European Integration and Shaping the Cultural Identity 
IV. Resistance to the Spread of American Mass Culture
Conclusion 
References 
Postscript 

To Order Ebook

Title: Transatlantic Tensions: Europe and America's
Cultural Divide Through History
Author: Wang Xiaode
Translated by Fu Yili
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-80589-034-8 | Hardback | Pages: 636