A History of the World in Six Glasses

In the 20th century, there was a worldwide cultural debate on how people should live—under democracy, dictatorship, socialist regime, etc. By the end of the century, there was a wide global consensus that people are happiest when they’re free to choose what they want. Peculiarly, Coca-Cola represents this belief better than almost any single product.

Coke became a truly global product after World War II, at the same time that America was becoming a truly global power. In its earliest days, the U.S. had a policy of strict isolationism, but during World War II, partly in response to Japan’s attacks on American soil at Pearl Harbor, America became a staunchly global power, sending troops around the world. American troops also spread Coca-Cola around the world—indeed, every soldier was supplied with one bottle of Coke during the war, courtesy of the Coca-Cola company. Coke became such a popular part of the soldier’s experience that the American military asked Coca-Cola to send more soda to U.S. troops in Africa, Europe, and Asia. With the government’s help, Coca-Cola established bottling facilities at American military bases in other countries. Coke technicians at these facilities were regarded as important players in the American military—they were affectionately nicknamed “Coca-Cola colonels.” Many of the American military’s most important figures were fans of Coke.

After World War II ended in 1945, Coca-Cola plants remained in Africa, Europe, and Asia, and became conventional, non-military facilities. As a result, ordinary people around the world tasted Coke for the first time. Because Coke had been an explicitly military drink during World War II, Coke was regarded as a symbol of American power for years afterwards. The Coca-Cola company, well aware of its product’s patriotic associations, launched a series of ad campaigns that emphasized Coke’s all-American qualities. As one Coke executive said, “when the world thinks of democracy, it thinks of Coca-Cola.”

Because Coca-Cola became a universal symbol of America in the 1950s, it also became a symbol of everything people loved—and hated—about the U.S. In France, communist sympathizers referred to the Marshall Plan—the effort to rebuild Europe after World War II with large sums of American money—as “Coca-Colonization.” French hatred for Coke was so great that there was a widespread campaign in France to ban Coca-Cola. French protesters smashed Coke bottles to symbolize their opposition to the Marshall Plan, which they believed would lead to an influx not only of American money, but also of mediocre American culture and values. In other parts of Europe, communist sympathizers and opponents of American hegemony treated Coke like poison. There was a popular rumor in Italy that Coke could kill small children.

Although Coca-Cola’s association with American power had been a great asset for the company in the 1940s and 50s, its association with the U.S. became a weakness in some ways during the 1960s. Because Coke was regarded as America’s drink, it was virtually impossible for the Coca-Cola company to open Coke facilities in the Soviet Union. Pepsi, Coke’s old rival, had a much easier time opening facilities in this part of the world, because its company hadn’t been tainted by associations with the U.S. In part because of its new presence in Eastern Europe, Pepsi eclipsed Coke as the world’s most popular soft drink in the 80s. However, Coke’s absence in the Soviet Union ultimately became an advantage. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the 90s, Russia and its former satellite states embraced Coke with great vigor. By the mid-90s, Coke had become the world’s number one soft drink once again.

Coca-Cola’s strong associations with the U.S. also prevented it from spreading to the Middle East. Coke faced a dilemma in the Middle East: it could establish facilities in Israel or in the Arab world, but not both. In the 60s, Coca-Cola stayed out of Israel. It was suggested that Coke executives believed that Arab states would boycott Coke if they knew that the company did business with a Jewish state—in other words, critics argued, Coca-Cola was condoning anti-Semitism. In the 70s, however, Coca-Cola began selling its products in Israel, which in turn prompted the Arab nations of the Middle East to boycott Coke. Coke then resumed selling soda in Arab nations in the late 80s, when tensions between Arab nations and Israel had subsided somewhat.

To this day, Coke is a benchmark of America’s presence in foreign countries. Studies have shown that countries in which people drink more Coke have higher literacy rates and longer average life expectancies than countries in which people drink less Coke. This doesn’t prove that coke makes people smarter, of course—rather, it suggests that Coke is a staple of life in a liberal democracy, the form of government that has been shown to produce the greatest prosperity and freedom for its people. In conclusion, Standage argues that Coke is one of the most popular drinks on the planet, and—for better or worse—a symbol of American entrepreneurship and imperialism.