The American Empire has never needed a propaganda ministry to justify itself to its subjects. For that, it has the world’s largest culture industry. From Hollywood to hip-hop, it has made millions around the world dream of being American, even those who hate its politics and economics. 

But American cultural imperialism comes into focus only when examined against its immediate precursor. For all the British Empire spread — constitutional monarchies, tea drinking, bleakly Protestant Christianity, and ruthless, amoral capitalism — it never made its victims aspire to be British in quite the same way as its American offshoot has. As for justifying itself at home: Who needs state propaganda campaigns when you have Call of Duty and Top Gun?