Comparison Between America And Europe
The challenges of 1920s modernity in Europe now became obvious. There was mass democracy, mass production, mass communication, and the last two foolish, unmistakable signs of America all over them. A wave of adaptation followed, particularly in Germany, where Fordism was thought to be the ‘key’ to reconstruction. Whilst the Americans, particularly Herbert Hoover, started to develop a new theory joining the survival of democracy to the promise of mass wealth, a surge of self-conscious criticism of American mass society arose in Europe. In Europe the French intellectuals created a new tradition, but unrest in Britain was strong across the political and business classes. They attempted a controlled, limited, adoption of American ways, but were not particularly successful.
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