In one respect at least the economic hothouse succeeded all too well. It laid the foundation not only for the domination of American life by business but also for the rise of a culture with an amazing, irresistible tendency to transform every single aspect of American life first into a business and then into a larger business. No institution, activity, or value has escaped this relentless organizing into some form of commerce. Some of the most obvious examples include the arts, politics, religion, education, sports, sex, media, entertainment, the family, childhood, and, of course, history. Commercialization rolled like a tsunami into every corner of American life, propelled largely by the continued pressure exerted by the forces discussed earlier: organization, technological innovation, advertising, and the relentless energy of entrepreneurs. The scale and scope of enterprises grow ever larger and now embrace the globe as easily as once they did regional markets.

In the economy produced by the economic hothouse, it was only natural for companies to seek new markets in every corner of the world. As the competitive arena expanded from national to global realms, firms found themselves dealing on a level that transcended their old loyalties and identities. The rise of multinational corporations signaled the emergence of a new economic order grounded in markets that defied older strictures and limitations.