| Abstract [eng] |
This master thesis examines the phenomenon of anti-Americanism in Western Europe in general and in Italy in particular. After the events of September 11th the US had received sympathy and support from many states of the world. However, just in two years all this disappeared: the war on terrorism incited by the US and finally the military offensive of 2003 against Iraq without a resolution of the UN brought an immense negative reaction in the world. The results of the opinion polls showed a general trend: the rise of negative attitudes towards America. Though the manifestations of anti-Americanism existed long before, it seems as many scholars have discovered the phenomenon of anti-Americanism anew and the main idea is that the 20th century (often called the American century) is giving the way to the new one – the century of hatred for America. Of course, after September 11th the main research area of anti-Americanism became analysis of this phenomenon in the Middle East. However, anti-Americanism exists also in Western Europe notwithstanding a long history of close US-Western Europe relations. Besides, the case of military intervention in Iraq had shown that also the consequences of this phenomenon can vary a lot. Hence, the main aim of this thesis is to analyze anti-Americanism in Western Europe and by analyzing the case of Italy distinguish the most important causes and consequences of this phenomenon. This analysis eventually allows to confirm/to deny such hypothesis: H1: A complex of many reasons causes anti-Americanism (i.e. there is not any single reason that causes this phenomenon); H2: Anti-Americanism so noticeable in the society can influence significantly the relations with the US. Since in the thesis the old and new manifestations of anti-Americanism are analyzed it permits to confirm/ to deny also this hypothesis: H3: The “New” anti-Americanism does not differ significantly from the “Old” one. In pursue of the main aim the thesis is divided in four parts. First of all the complexity of the definition of anti-Americanism and the historical development of the phenomenon is presented. Secondly, the experience of Italy’s encounter with the US is analyzed as it is very important for the analysis of anti-Americanism. Thirdly, the main sources of anti-Americanism in Italy are revealed. Finally, the analysis examines two cases of anti-Americanism in Italy: the case of Vietnam and the case of military base in Vicenza. The analysis revealed that notwithstanding the long history of anti-Americanism there still does not exist unanimous definition of anti-Americanism. However, at this moment we can understand anti-Americanism as a sum of criticism of American society/culture, the rejection of economical model of the US and the opposition to the global projection of the American power. Besides, each country’s encounter with the US forms the unique context for anti-Americanism. Furthermore, many different sources of anti-Americanism exist. Hence, we can confirm the H1 hypothesis. The analysis of the case of Italy had revealed a some kind of myth of America which had been formed in Italy and transformed into a model of America after the Second World War. The attitude of the Italian sources of anti-Americanism toward America is also very ambiguous. The traditional political parties still appreciate a “special relation” with the US, which has lost its importance in the Italian society. The analysis of both cases (the Vietnam war and the military base in Vicenza) had shown very similar results: only in cases of society’s reaction all the elements of anti-Americanism were found and we could not reveal any significant deterioration of Italy-US relations. Furthermore, both cases testified that anti-Americanism often becomes a significant tool in internal political dispute. Hence we can deny the H2 hypothesis and confirm the H3 hypothesis. |
