View source for Cocacolonization

{{Short description|American culture globalization through products}}
[[File:Coca-Cola Morocco.jpg|thumb|Coca-Cola advertising in the [[High Atlas]] mountains of Morocco]]
{{wikt | Cocacolonization}}

'''''Cocacolonization''''' (alternatively '''''coca-colonization''''') refers to the [[globalization]] of [[culture of the United States | American culture]] (also referred to as [[Americanization]]) pushed through popular American products such as the soft-drink brand [[The Coca-Cola Company| Coca-Cola]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/15/business/viewpoints-a-brief-history-of-coca-colonization.html |title = A Brief History of Coca-Colonization |last = Pendergrast |first = Mark |work = The New York Times |date = 1993}}</ref> The term is a [[portmanteau]] of the name of the multinational soft-drink maker and "[[colonization]]".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title = Coca-Colonization and the Cold War: The Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria After the Second World War |last = Wagnleitner|first = Reinhold |publisher = The University of North Carolina Press |year = 1994 |isbn = 978-0-8078-4455-7 |location = Chapel Hill, NC |chapter = Introduction}}</ref>

The term was first documented in 1949 in Australia<ref>
{{oed | coca-colonization}}
</ref>
and in [[France]], where the [[French Communist Party]] strongly opposed the further expansion of Coca-Cola.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book|title=The world transformed : 1945 to the present |last= Hunt|first= Michael H.|isbn= 9780199371020|oclc= 907585907|date = 2015-06-26|publisher= Oxford University Press}}</ref>{{rp|106}} In 1948, the [[Ministry of Economics and Finance (France) | French finance ministry]] stood against "Coke" on the grounds that its operation would bring no capital to help with French recovery, and was likely to drain profits back to the parent company in the United States.<ref name="auto"/>{{rp|106}} The French Communist Party also warned that the Coke distribution-system would double as an [[espionage]] network.<ref name="auto"/>{{rp|107}}

In [[World War II]] (1939-1945) and the [[Cold War]] (1947-1991), many outside of the United States associated Coca-Cola with American culture. Seeing ties to the [[culture of the United States]], some [[Europe]]ans rejected perceived attempts to cocacolonize<ref>
{{oed | coca-colonize}}
</ref>
their countries, objecting to what they saw as an invasion of their nationalistic identities.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|title = Coca-Colonization: The Exportation of "America" to Europe Following World War II |last = Gordon |first = Matthew |date = 2011 |journal = HubPages}}</ref> Europeans saw Coca-Cola not just as a carbonated refreshment, but as bottled America.<ref name=":2" /> By the end of the Cold War, American ideals were spread across the world by Coke and in certain cases, used to combat [[Communism]].<ref name=":0" />{{qn|date=August 2023}}

Cocacolonization as a historical concept gained visibility in the Americanization debate in Europe with the 1994 publication of [[:de:Reinhold Wagnleitner |Reinhold Wagnleitner]]'s book ''Coca-Colonization and the Cold War: The Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria After the Second World War''.<ref name=":1" /> Wagnleitner used "Coca-Colonization" to embody the premise of his book: the United States of America attempted [[cultural imperialism]] by expanding American ideals through the spread of consumer goods such as Coca-Cola and [[Levi Strauss & Co.| Levi]] jeans, and through cultural symbols like [[rock and roll]] and [[Marlon Brando]]'s black leather jacket, as well as through the promotion of [[democracy]] in Europe.<ref name=":1" />

The expression "coca-colonization" also appears in medical literature to describe the [[Lifestyle (social sciences) | lifestyle]] changes and the associated increase of incidence of characteristic [[chronic disease]]s, e.g. [[Diabetes mellitus type 2| type 2 diabetes]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |title = Coca-colonization of diets in the Yucatan |journal = Social Science & Medicine|date = 2005-08-01 |pages = 833–846 |volume = 61 |issue = 4 |doi = 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.08.047 |pmid = 15950095 |first1 = Thomas L. |last1 = Leatherman |first2 = Alan |last2 = Goodman}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1080/03670244.2011.568911 |pmid = 21888598 |title = Coca-Colonization and Hybridization of Diets among the Tz'utujil Maya |journal = Ecology of Food and Nutrition |volume = 50 |issue = 4 |pages = 297–318 |year = 2011 |last1 = Nagata |first1 = Jason M. | last2 = Barg |first2 = Frances K. |last3 = Valeggia |first3 = Claudia R. |last4 = Bream |first4 = Kent D. W.|bibcode = 2011EcoFN..50..297N |s2cid = 29683298}}</ref><ref name=":8">
{{Cite journal|title = Globalization, coca-colonization and the chronic disease epidemic: can the Doomsday scenario be averted? |last = Zimmet |first = P |s2cid = 2066542 |date = 2000 |journal = Journal of Internal Medicine |volume = 247 |issue = 3 |pages = 301–310 |doi = 10.1046/j.1365-2796.2000.00625.x |pmid = 10762445|doi-access = free}}</ref>

== History ==
The concept of Cocacolonization began at the beginning of World War II.<ref name=":0" /> Over time, some countries resisted the American soft drink while others openly accepted it. To all, it represented America and its culture and at a majority of major historical events during the 20th century, Coke was in attendance.<ref name=":2" />

=== World War II ===
When war broke out and American troops were sent overseas, the Coca-Cola company vowed that any American in uniform should be able to get a Coke for five cents wherever they were.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Coke and the U.S. troops|url = http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/2008/11/coke-and-the-us/|website = The Coca-Cola Company|access-date = 2015-12-09|archive-date = 2018-03-31|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180331060717/http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/2008/11/coke-and-the-us|url-status = dead}}</ref> As a result, the company built bottling stations in the [[Pacific War|Pacific]] and on the [[Western Front (World War II)|Western front]].
[[File:Vintage Coca-Cola Vending Machines 2.jpg|thumb|Vintage Coca-Cola vending machines from World War II. They resemble the machines spread out throughout the Pacific front.]]
[[Nazis]] recognized Coke to be a "Jewish-American" drink. In response, the regime only allowed Coke in the country if it displayed a [[swastika]] on the bottle, which it did.<ref name=":0" /> In the [[Soviet Union]], war hero Marshal [[Georgy Zhukov|Georgi Zhukov]] loved the drink, but Soviet leader [[Joseph Stalin]] viewed it as a symbol of [[American imperialism]] and forbade its consumption. As a solution, Coca-Cola developed [[White Coke|a clear version of the drink]] bottled with a white cap and red star as a disguise to allow Zhukov to consume Cola without suspicion.<ref name=":0" />

On the Pacific front of the war, Coke had a tough time reaching the troops. To address the issue, the company created portable soda fountains that were distributed throughout the islands on the [[Pacific Ocean]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title = On the Front Lines with Coca Cola Pt II|url = http://envisioningtheamericandream.com/2013/05/30/on-the-front-lines-with-coca-cola-pt-ii/|website = Envisioning The American Dream|access-date = 2015-12-09|date = 2013-05-30}}</ref> Asian countries experienced Coca-Cola. According to the company, the drink spread throughout the islands because, "Coke symbolized the American way of life."<ref name=":4" />

Throughout the war, Coke dispersed ads for their soda all over the world. The majority of the ads displayed an American soldier drinking a soda with the natives of that country.<ref name=":4" /> If the ad was in a country outside of the United States, it was written in the native language of that country. Popular ads had positive images of Americans with Coke in [[New Zealand]], Russia, the [[Philippines]], [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], [[Italy]], [[England]], and in [[Poland]].<ref name=":4" /> According to Coca-Cola, "From the jungles of the Admiral Islands to the officer clubs in the [[Italian Riviera|Riviera]]," Coke and America was there.<ref name=":4" />

=== Late 1940s and the Cold War ===
The end of World War II marked up by widespread cocacolonization of Europe and [[Asia]]. In 1947, Coca-Cola bottling operations began in the [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]], and [[Luxembourg]]; then [[Switzerland]], Italy, and France by 1949.<ref name=":2" /> Author Mark Gordon said, "American ideals were now being pushed on Europeans every time they sipped a bottle of Coke."<ref name=":2" /> By the early 1950s, there were 63 bottling plants expanding across three continents including the countries of: [[Egypt]], [[Iceland]], [[Iran]], [[West Africa]], and [[New Guinea]].<ref name=":4" /> Many US companies benefitted from expansion into Europe, including Coca-Cola. Through these foreign endeavours, the US was able to informally create a business and corporate empire via the expansion of several US companies.<ref>Wagnleitner, R. (2000). ''Coca-colonization and the Cold War: the cultural mission of the United States in Austria after the Second World War''. Univ of North Carolina Press.</ref>
[[File:Coca-Cola does Chinese New Year.jpg|thumb|The Coca-Cola store in China helping to celebrate the New Year]]
By the time of the Cold War, Coke met resistance in some countries. Italians kept from indulging in the soda.<ref name=":2" /> [[Austrians]] recognized the expansion of the company as an attempt to spread American culture and ideals overseas.<ref name=":1" /> In France, French communists spread awareness about Coca-Cola. They coined the term cocacolonization because they saw the spread of Coke in their country as an attempt to make it an American colony.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://uramericansinparis.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/coca-colonisation-anti-american-sentiment-in-france/|title=Coca-Colonisation: Anti-American Sentiment in France|last=Long|first=Brennan|website=Americans in Paris, Fall 2010|access-date=2015-12-09|date=2010-12-09}}</ref> When the company attempted to open a bottling plant in the country, French Communists threatened to barricade [[Paris]] to keep Coke out.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title = Coca Cola in Paris: A Changing France|url = https://uramericansinparis.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/coca-cola-in-france/|website = Americans in Paris, Fall 2010|access-date = 2015-12-09|date = 2010-12-16}}</ref> To the French, the company represented [[Capitalism|capitalist]] America.<ref name=":5" />

At the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]], the end of Communism in Germany in November 1989, Coca-Cola handed out sodas.<ref name=":0" />

== Significance ==

=== Health factors ===
Medical experts use the term cocacolonization in their medical journals representing the spread of unhealthy American foods overseas.<ref name=":8" />

A significant shift in nutrition has occurred. Developed nations export processed foods that are high in [[trans fats]] and refined [[sugar]] to developing nations, causing a change from previous methods of survival such as hunting and gathering.<ref name=":8"/>

Cocacolonization has been linked to the spike in [[Type 2 diabetes]], obesity, and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases because of the connection between economic situation and low costs of high fat, high sugar foods.<ref name=":8" />

Due to an increase in tourism in their area, the Mayan tribe in the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] experienced a decline in health because they were introduced to unhealthy American foods. They became increasingly dependent on the foods.<ref name=":6" /> Similarly, the Tz'utujill tribe in Guatemala was also introduced to the same food and encountered the same decline in health.<ref name=":7" /> Worldwide, type 2 diabetes spread and steadily increased over the next 20 years. The explanation for their decline in health was cocacolonization.<ref name=":8" />

=== Widespread ===
As of 2015, Coca-Cola has been distributed to over 200 countries worldwide.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlzn0JOqGDU|title = Globalization of Coca Cola|last1 = Wallace|first1 = Kristin|date = 2012|work = Video|last2 = Koch|first2 = Jillian}}</ref> A few of the many countries consist of [[China]], [[Guatemala]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Mexico]], [[Russia]], [[Canada]], [[United Kingdom]], [[Algeria]], and [[Libya]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/10791/The-Cola-Conquest--Part-III--Coca-Colonization|title = The Cola Conquest, Part III: Coca-Colonization|last = Angelico|first = Irene|date = 1998|work = Documentary}}</ref> According to the company, "Coca-Cola is the second-most understood term in the world behind "okay."<ref name=":9" />

Coca-Cola as a product has stretched across international borders to create a brand. “In much political, academic and conversational rhetoric the term Coca-Cola comes to stand, not just for a particular soft drink, but also for the problematic nature of commodities in general. It is a meta-commodity. … It may stand for commodities or capitalism, but equally Imperialism or Americanization.”<ref name=":10">Miller, D. (1998). Coca-Cola: a black sweet drink from Trinidad. ''Material cultures: Why some things matter'', 169-187.</ref> Cocacolonization as referring to the spread of American culture and/or brands; Coca-Cola is an example of the widespread infrastructure of westernized capitalism and consumerism. There have been several notable pushbacks against Cocacolonization. In 2012, Bolivia's Foreign Minister [[David Choquehuanca]] (alongside President [[Evo Morales]]) unsuccessfully tried to place a ban on Coca-Cola in a move against Western imperialism and capitalism.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blackstone |first1=Samuel |title=Bolivia Reportedly Planning To Ban Coca-Cola On Last Day Of Mayan Calendar |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bolivia-to-ban-coca-cola-starting-december-21st-2012-8 |website=Business Insider |publisher=Insider Inc.}}</ref>

Coca-Cola operates via franchises;<ref name=":10" /> therefore, for areas to benefit from its production, local bottling plants are required. Trinidad obtained the franchise in 1939, so in Trinidad Coke was bottled by the firm of Cannings - which, like other older colonial firms, was taken over, in Cannings' case in 1975.<ref name=":10" />

In Trinidad, sweet drinks are not viewed as luxury items, but instead as everyday items of the common man.<ref name=":10" /> In relation to Coca-Cola, “the centrality of the black sweet drink to Trinidadian drinking is above all summed up in the notion of a “rum and Coke” as the core alcoholic drink for most people of the island.”<ref name=":10" /> Having a common drink that requires the existence of an exact sweet drink emphasizes its hold on the local environment.

==See also==
{{Portal|Companies|Business and economics}}
*[[Cultural globalization]]
*[[Cultural imperialism]]
*[[Disneyfication]]
*[[McDonaldization]]
*[[McWorld]]
*[[Walmarting]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book | last = Flusty | first = Steven | title = De-Coca-Colonization | publisher = Routledge | location = New York | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-415-94537-0 }}
* O’Dell, Tom. ''Culture Unbound: Americanization and Everyday Life in Sweden'' (Lund: Nordic Academic Press, 1997). 
* Pells, Richard. ''Not like Us: How Europeans Have Loved, Hated and Transformed American Culture since World War II'' (1997) [https://archive.org/details/notlikeushoweuro00pell online]

*Pendergrast, Mark (2013). ''For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company that Makes it.'' New York: Basic Books. {{ISBN|978-0-465-02917-4}}. 
*{{cite book | last = Wagnleitner | first = Reinhold | title = Coca-Colonization and the Cold War | publisher = U of North Carolina Press | location = Chapel Hill | year = 1994 | isbn = 978-0-8078-4455-7 }}

{{Coca-Cola brands}}

[[Category:Cultural globalization]]
[[Category:1940s neologisms]]
[[Category:Coca-Cola in popular culture]]
[[Category:Popular culture neologisms]]
[[Category:Neocolonialism]]
[[Category:American imperialism]]