20.3 America’s mass culture.

20.3.1. For most of the 20th century, American artists and thinkers quarreled about the values of a mass, democratic, popular culture and an elite culture accessible only to the few—the quarrel between "low" and "high." Beginning at the turn of the century, the growth of the technology of mass communications—motion pictures, the phonograph, radio television—created a potential audience. Mass culture seemed to promise a democratic culture, a cultural life directed not to an aristocracy but to all men and women.

20.3.2. American movies play an important role in American influence is continued by a powerful force – television. American movies are a good way to spread American culture because often people are influenced by what they see in the movies. Most of the entertainment programs and documentaries we watch on TV are from America, and most of the movies we go to are made in Hollywood.

Most early American television programs were concerned with entertainment. Comedy and game shows, stories about policemen and detectives, the adventures of fictional western heroes like the Lone Ranger – all these were very popular. The main purpose of such programs was to attract large audiences of "viewers." Manufacturing firms then paid television companies like NBC and CBS lots of money to show advertisements for their products while the programs were being broadcast, or "televised." Television programs became an important American export.

20.3.3. Television became the most famous source of entertainment. Though for many people the multiplex and television remain their most sustained contacts with American life. That’s why Disney World became the most popular place. Amusement parks have a long history, being important landmarks and meeting places within the expanding cities of industrial America. Disneyland became successful through television promotion. It became the national and then international yardstick for large entertainment complexes. California was often seen as America’s Dream and Disneyland was seen as California’s own Dream. But Disney is more about market share and less about promoting American culture.

20.3.4. In music, the process of Americanization could be seen most clearly in the huge international popularity of rock. Rock began as "rock-and-roll", a music that was first played in the 1950s. Many of rock and roll's first stars were black performers such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard. But the unchallenged "King" of rock-and-roll was a young southern white named Elvis Presley. Rock became an international as well as an American phenomenon, one that millions of younger people worldwide saw as their natural cultural language.

20.4 The usa in the XXI century.

20.4.1. George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. He was sworn into office on January 20, 2001. President Bush was re-elected on November 2, 2004, and sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2005. On domestic issues, President Bush is also committed to job creation and economic growth, health care and welfare reform, improving the educational system, and the development of a comprehensive energy plan to promote energy efficiency and conservation.

20.4.2. In the 2004 presidential election there were two key issues. The well-being of the economy – economic growth, jobs, and the overall condition of U.S. fiscal policy – is traditionally an important topic in election years. The second major issue in the election campaign of 2004 was foreign policy. There were times, for example, when Americans cared very deeply about foreign policy. The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC on September 11, 2001 changed the importance individual Americans attributed to national security. As a result of the "9/11" attacks, one of the major priorities of the Bush Administration is a broad international anti-terror strategy based on diplomacy, law enforcement, intelligence, financial investigation, military action, and humanitarian aid. One of the major recent domestic challenges in the United States was coping with the damages done by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in September 2005. This was one of the most serious natural catastrophes in U.S. history.

20.4.3. Other major international priorities include the Middle East Roadmap to Peace, the Millennium Challenge Account for developing countries and an emergency global HIV/AIDS program. Another important international initiative is the partnership between the United States, the so-called EU-3 – European Union members France, Germany and Great Britain – as well as Russia and other countries to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.