It has been suggested that Anti-Americanism in divided Germany be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2024. |
Anti-American sentiment in Germany is the dislike of the American government or people [1] present in Germany. Anti-Americanism has been present in Germany throughout history with several notable incidents. Anti-Americanism was advanced by local leaders under the influence of the former Soviet Union, during the Cold War in East Germany, with dissenters being punished. In West Germany, this sentiment was generally limited to left wing politicians. [2]
Scholars such as Noam Chomsky and Nancy Snow have argued that the application of the term "anti-American" to the population of other countries does not make any sense, as it implies that not liking the American government or its policies is socially undesirable or even comparable to a crime. [3] [4] In this regard, the term has been likened to the propagandistic usage of the term "anti-Sovietism" in the USSR. [3]
During 1820-40 era, hostility toward America stemmed from its perceived cultural inferiority. [5] Between 1820 and 1870, more than seven and a half million German immigrants came to the United States, buying farms or taking industrial jobs. Few returned to their homeland. [6]
Germany and the United States were at war 1917-1918 and 1941-1945.
In the postwar era from 1945-1970, Americanisation was part of the process of becoming a Western European, and anti-American sentiment was weak.[ citation needed ] However in the late 1960s, West Germany's youth contrasted the images of Woodstock—which they liked—and the Vietnam War—which they hated. Young rebels turned to violence to destroy the foundations of a society that backed American cultural imperialism. Anti-Americanism reappeared among some intellectuals after the attacks on 11 September 2001 because of the perceived links between globalisation, Americanisation, and terrorism. [7]
After World War II, Germany was split into two parts, East Germany and West Germany. In socialist East Germany, anti-Americanism was official government policy. Anti-Americanism was strong among left wingers. Some right wingers saw the United States as a protector against communism, while others saw the American way of life as uncultured. [8]
The War in Iraq in 2003 was highly unpopular at all levels of German society. [9] Chancellor Gerhard Schröder stated that Germany would refuse to provide troops or money for the Invasion of Iraq. [10] [11]
With the election of Donald Trump, there have been renewed fears among American think-tanks about the rise of anti-American sentiment in Germany. [12] Donald Trump, the grandson of a German immigrant, has been noted for his euroscepticism, [13] while Germany is one of the most Pro-EU countries in the world. In 2017, German magazine Stern published a cover depicting Donald Trump performing the Nazi salute, with the inscription Sein Kampf, in reference to Mein Kampf. [14] Germans have generally been more negative about their relations with the United States than most other European countries. [15] Trump was routinely criticised by German politicians, such as Chancellor Angela Merkel. [16]
Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history, economy, and culture. The two countries consider themselves among the "closest [of] allies". They share the longest border between any two nations in the world, and also have significant military interoperability. Both Americans and Canadians have generally ranked each other as one of their respective "favorite nations". Nonetheless, Canadian peacekeeping is deeply embedded in Canadian culture and a distinguishing feature that Canadians feel sets their foreign policy apart from the United States. Canadian anti-Americanism has also manifested itself in a variety of ways, ranging from political, to cultural.
Anti-Americanism is a term that can describe several sentiments and positions including opposition to, fear of, distrust of, prejudice against or hatred toward the United States, its government, its foreign policy, or Americans in general. Anti-Americanism can be contrasted with pro-Americanism, which refers to support, love, or admiration for the United States.
Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance is a book about the United States and its foreign policy written by American political activist and linguist Noam Chomsky. It was first published in the United States in November 2003 by Metropolitan Books and then in the United Kingdom by Penguin Books. It was republished by Haymarket Books in January 2024.
The Kingdom of France was the first friendly country of the new United States in 1778. The 1778 Treaty of Alliance between the two countries and the subsequent aid provided from France proved decisive in the American victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War. France, however, was left heavily indebted after the war, which contributed to France's own revolution and eventual transition to a republic.
Anti-Russian sentiment or Russophobia is dislike or fear or hatred of Russia, Russian people, or Russian culture. The opposite of Russophobia is Russophilia.
"Death to America" is an anti-American political slogan widely used in Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Pakistan and North Korea. Originally used by North Korea since the Korean War, Ruhollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of Iran, popularized the term. He opposed the chant for radio and television but not for protests and other occasions. The literal meaning of the Persian phrase "Marg bar Âmrikâ" is "Death to America". In most official Iranian translations, the phrase is translated into English as the less crude "Down with America". The chant "Death to America" has come to be employed by various anti-American groups and protesters worldwide.
Joseph Edward Schmitz is an American lawyer, former inspector general of the United States Department of Defense and a former executive with Blackwater Worldwide. After working as a watchdog at the Pentagon for three and a half years, Schmitz resigned to return to the private sector. Although allegations questioning his stewardship of the inspector general's office surfaced nine months after his resignation, a high-level review board, the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency, cleared him of wrongdoing in 2006. He was named one of Donald Trump's foreign policy advisors for his 2016 presidential campaign.
The post-9/11 period is the time after the September 11 attacks, characterized by heightened suspicion of non-Americans in the United States, increased government efforts to address terrorism, and a more aggressive American foreign policy.
Today, Germany and the United States are close and strong allies. In the mid and late 19th century, millions of Germans migrated to farms and industrial jobs in the United States, especially in the Midwest. Later, the two nations fought each other in World War I (1917–1918) and World War II (1941–1945). After 1945 the U.S., with the United Kingdom and France, occupied Western Germany and built a demilitarized democratic society. West Germany achieved independence in 1949. It joined NATO in 1955, with the caveat that its security policy and military development would remain closely tied to that of France, the UK and the United States. While West Germany was becoming a Western Bloc state closely integrated with the U.S. and NATO, East Germany became an Eastern Bloc satellite state closely tied to the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. After communist rule ended in Eastern Europe amid the Revolutions of 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany was reunified and the allied powers subsequently restored full sovereignty to Germany with the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany. The reunified Federal Republic of Germany became a full member of the European Union, NATO and one of the closest allies of the United States. Since 2022 Germany has been working with NATO and the European Union to give aid to Ukraine in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the process Germany is sharply reducing its dependence on Russian oil and gas. Germany has the third-largest economy in the world, after the U.S. and China. Today, both the countries enjoy a "special relationship".
Anti-Europeanism, Anti-European sentiment, Anti-European racism, racism against Europeans and Europhobia are political terms used in a variety of contexts, implying sentiment or policies in opposition to Europe.
This is a list of topics related to racism:
A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peace. Some of the methods used to achieve these goals include advocacy of pacifism, nonviolent resistance, diplomacy, boycotts, peace camps, ethical consumerism, supporting anti-war political candidates, supporting legislation to remove profits from government contracts to the military–industrial complex, banning guns, creating tools for open government and transparency, direct democracy, supporting whistleblowers who expose war crimes or conspiracies to create wars, demonstrations, and political lobbying. The political cooperative is an example of an organization which seeks to merge all peace-movement and green organizations; they may have diverse goals, but have the common ideal of peace and humane sustainability. A concern of some peace activists is the challenge of attaining peace when those against peace often use violence as their means of communication and empowerment.
Americanization or Americanisation is the influence of the American culture and economy on other countries outside the United States, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, technology and political techniques. Some observers have described Americanization as synonymous with progress and innovation.
Fascism has a long history in North America, with the earliest movements appearing shortly after the rise of fascism in Europe.
Criticism of the United States government encompasses a wide range of sentiments about the actions and policies of the United States. Historically, domestic and international criticism of the United States has been driven by its embracement of classical economics, manifest destiny, hemispheric exclusion and exploitation of the Global South, military intervention, and alleged practice of neocolonialism, with its unipolar global position giving it a special responsibility which many feel is misused purely for self-gain, in contradiction with the beliefs and values of American people. This perpetuates negative sentiment towards the US and fuels criticism which is pervasive around the world.
Arab–American relations comprise a rich and nuanced narrative shaped by centuries of interaction, diplomacy, and exchange between the United States and the Arab world. Rooted in historical trade routes and cultural connections dating back to antiquity, the modern iteration of these relations has been profoundly influenced by geopolitical dynamics, economic interests, and cultural exchanges. The United States' engagement with the Arab world gained significant momentum in the aftermath of World War II, as American interests in the region expanded alongside the emergence of Arab nationalism and the pursuit of self-determination. Throughout the Cold War era, the United States navigated intricate alliances and rivalries within the Arab world, often driven by strategic considerations, such as access to oil resources and containment of Soviet influence.
Anti-Western sentiment, also known as anti-Atlanticism or Westernophobia, refers to broad opposition, bias, or hostility towards the people, culture, or policies of the Western world.
Anti-American sentiment has been present in Russia for a long time, dating back to the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Relations were frozen until 1933, when the US President Franklin Roosevelt decided to establish diplomatic relations with the USSR. The US and the USSR fought alongside each other in World War II, but following the end of the war, the United States was opposed to the Soviet Union's military occupation and domination of Eastern Europe. As tensions grew into the Cold War, relations became hostile with large-scale war plans, but no direct war took place.
There is a history of anti-Americanism in China, beginning with the general disdain for foreigners in the early 19th century that culminated in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, which the United States Marine Corps participated with other powers in suppressing. The 1905 Chinese boycott of American goods to protest discrimination against the Chinese living in America had a major negative impact on Chinese attitudes. After the Chinese Civil War, the United States and China fought an undeclared war during the Korean War, in which 148,000 Chinese soldiers died, that left bitter feelings on both sides. Relations warmed up after 1970, but large-scale anti-American sentiments significantly increased since US President Donald Trump launched a trade war against China in the late 2010s.
Pro-Americanism describes support, love, or admiration for the United States, its government and economic system, its foreign policy, the American people, and/or American culture, typically on the part of people who are not American citizens or otherwise living outside of the United States. In this sense, it differs from Americanism, which can generally only be adhered to by American citizens or residents, although adherents of any of these may subscribe to overlapping concepts, such as American exceptionalism. Pro-Americanism is contrasted with Anti-Americanism, which is the fear or hatred of things American.