Welcoming the Americans within the Post-communist Margins
Welcoming the Americans within the Post-communist Margins

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the present paper is to analyze the image of the United States of America in two (former) Communist countries (Romania and East Germany) and how this image was greatly influenced/modified by the Communist regime. Our analysis is based on two political myths concerning the United States, which developed in different periods of time in the mentality of people from these two countries. On the one hand, the proliferated phrase “The Americans are coming” reflects the myth according to which the Americans are seen as the providential liberators, and on the other hand, the Americans are vilified during the Communist regime, especially by Stalin’s regime, and are seen as “the enemies” in the eyes of each Communist follower. This survey focuses on the post-Communist representation of the United States as mirrored in two films, Good Bye Lenin! and California Dreamin’ (Endless), both showing their own projection of the ‘American dream’ within the borders of some territories marked by restrictions and limitations.

• Details
• Contents