Abstract
In the aftermath of World War II the United States attempted to enforce its economic and cultural hegemony throughout the rest of the world. Western Europe was a particularly important arena for this struggle for domination due to its geographic and cultural proximity to the Soviet Bloc. One result of the United States’ actions was a growing countercultural response that in France led to protests and riots and in the Federal Republic of Germany, to kidnappings and bombings. Two of the primary organizations responsible for these protests were the Situationist International of France and the Red Army Faction of West Germany. Differing levels of American intervention in France and West Germany helped determine the varied levels of radicalization in these otherwise similar cultural movements.