Nostalgia sells. Specifically, classic American nostalgia sells.

Travel almost anywhere outside of the U.S., and you will encounter a curious phenomenon. In a diner in Japan, an Elvis Presley song crackles through the speakers. In Germany, enthusiasts gather to celebrate classic American automobiles from the 1950s. In Brazil, families line up for hamburgers beneath the golden arches. In South Korea, vintage Hollywood posters decorate cafés. Across Europe, Marilyn Monroe remains an instantly recognizable icon decades after her death.

People who have never visited the United States often feel affection for an America they never knew. The jubilation expressed over certain U.S. amenities by FIFA soccer players and fans recently demonstrated this.

What makes this so remarkable is that the feeling is rarely reciprocated. Americans may admire aspects of other cultures, but it is doubtful many spend their days longing for an imagined golden age of Belgium, Argentina, or Thailand. There is no worldwide movement of Americans collecting memorabilia from a bygone era of Norwegian popular culture or recreating the aesthetic of mid-century Portugal. Yet millions of people around the world remain captivated by an idealized vision of America’s past.

Part of the answer lies in the unprecedented cultural influence the United States achieved during the 20th century. America’s rise coincided with the rise of mass media. Hollywood films, radio broadcasts, television programs, consumer brands, and popular music crossed oceans in a way no nation’s cultural products ever had before. For much of the world, America became more than a country: it became a symbol.

The America exported abroad was not one of political debates or social problems.........

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