"Toward a New Europe and the Twenty-first century" Study Notes

During the past half century, the United States has exerted enormous influence on Europe and most especially Western Europe. After the war, the US government, through the Marshall Plan, rebuilt the Western European economies. The term Americanization, which has appeared in European publications, refers in part to this economic and military influence, but it also refers to concerns about cultural loss. American banks and other financial institutions as well as law firms often have European branches. Large American corporations such as the McDonald's fast-food chain have established a presen…