Europe and North America : mutual cultural exchanges

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Europe and North America are part of the same macrocultural group (or civilization) typically referred to as "The West". But what in 'Western culture' actually comes from Europe and what comes from the USA (or Canada), and how much do both regions still influence each others ? Let's have a look at the inventions, discoveries, developments or creations on either side of the Atlantic and see whether they became integrated to the other's culture or not.

There are naturally more European things that became part of American culture as European immigrants took them with them to America. What's interesting is to see which things each culture kept or decided to import without the influence of immigration. But I will just list everything that springs to mind here. Note that it is not because something can be found or exist somewhere that it is really part of the culture (e.g. there is baseball and jazz in Europe, but it is limited to a small minority of fans).


What Europe gave to North America

- Music : Classical music, folk music (e.g. colonial music), hard rock, heavy metal
- Architecture : Neoclassical, Neogothic...
- Religion : Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, several Protestant branches (Lutheran, Calvinist...)
- Sports : tennis, golf, ice hockey, athletism...
- Food : pasta, pizza, hamburgers, beer, wine, soda, European food in general...
- Government & Law : Common Law, Roman Law, Parliamentary system, democracy...

What North America gave to Europe

- Music : Rock&Roll, disco, acid, pop, rap, hip-hop, folk music (e.g. civil war music)
- Architecture : steel and glass skyscrapers
- Sports : basketball
- Food : fastfood (Pizza Hut, McDonalds...), soft drinks (Coca Cola, Fanta...), breakfast cereals (Kellog's)
- Fashion : jeans, tshirt

European culture that didn't really became part of North American culture/society

- Sports : soccer

North American culture that didn't really became part of European culture/society

- Music : Blues, Jazz, Country, R&B, Soul
- Religion : many Protestant denominations, Mormonism, new religions...
- Sports : American football, baseball...


Many things, such as clothes, cinema or fine arts are too varied and numerous to be either European or American. In Cinema, the USA certainly has a lot of influence all around the world, and so does Europe for fashion and cosmetics. But European cinema and American fashion have a considerable influence too.

For inventions, see Who invented what ?
 
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European culture that didn't really became part of North American culture/society

- Sports : soccer

I know this thread is very old but you need to understand that just because we Americans do not fancy soccer as a professional sport almost everyone including myself has played in a soccer league as a child. I played for almost 10 years in school. So I do not think that we do not like soccer it is that we enjoy American Football, Baseball, Basketball more. Another thing that might suprise you is that it is more common for teens and college students to be seen sporting European League Soccer Club jersies and shirts etc

I think you were trying to do something good here with a cross cultural exchange a shame it kind of died off with no real conversation.
 
I know this thread is very old but you need to understand that just because we Americans do not fancy soccer as a professional sport almost everyone including myself has played in a soccer league as a child. I played for almost 10 years in school. So I do not think that we do not like soccer it is that we enjoy American Football, Baseball, Basketball more. Another thing that might suprise you is that it is more common for teens and college students to be seen sporting European League Soccer Club jersies and shirts etc.

Well, I am European and I dislike soccer. There are always exceptions. But overall it is clear that a much higher percentage of Europeans are fans of soccer (even if they don't practice it themselves) compared to the USA. That is undeniably a cultural difference.
 

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