German Anti-Americanism in Context

Abstract

The anti-American rhetoric which suddenly emerged in Western Europe’s intellectual discourse during the showdown of the Second Gulf War in 2002–3 is more than a political act. The new patterns of antagonism are symptoms of a process of cultural emancipation that commenced in the 1990s. Surprisingly, the rationale behind the growing demise of the project of Americanization which dominated the Cold War is a critical examination of Europe’s entanglement in a postmodern culture industry and its global markets. In the aftermath of unification, Germany’s cultural scene has been meticulously scrutinized by its own intellectuals, who perceived the cultural imperialism of the USA as a threat. To some extent based on anti-American traditions that originate in Germany’s period of Romanticism, contemporary intellectuals are acting as the guardians of the cultural values of so- called ‘Old Europe’. However, it will be argued that the appraisal of the political and cultural intimacy of both continents will not only result in a schism but will also foster new and exciting transatlantic liaisons.