Coca-Colonization.

Oh Boy! How’d That Drink Get Here?

Globalization, the exchange of ideas, goods, and products is an ongoing process. Since the beginning of the human species, the concept has existed in one form or another. From the Silk Road, to the exchange of goods and ideas, to brazilwood, and most importantly: coca leaves. This process is important, prevalent for the continuation of humanity. So, why did one product cause a large dissection of its product, on one side a now harmless soft drink intricately aligned with ideals of Westernization, and the other a Schedule-II drug. 

Cocaine isn’t commonly thought of as a direct result of the process of globalization, yet became so popular it pushed the drink Coca-Cola into an Americanized drink. Globalization is a constantly shifting and evolving process that in brief encapsulates the growing interconnectedness of the world through the trade of politics, goods, ideas, and much more. Throughout the course, there were countless examples of the ongoing nature of globalization, some of these predating the 1980’s threshold where most historians account for the official beginning of the globalization process. One of these pre-1980’s examples is the Silk Road, dating approximately 200 BCE-200 AD, showing that throughout the course of human history goods were being shared, and with that came the spread of ideas. This exemplifies the nature and theory of globalization because as long as there are goods or ideas to be traded civilizations will be in constant contact and become inextricably interconnected. 

Cocaine, the infamous drug, is derived from the coca plant native to the valleys of Bolivia and Peru. In true form, the coca plant was not dangerous. The coca plant holds many effects similar to caffeine such as: alleviating hunger, pain, and thirst. Coca was reserved for ceremonial and medical applications, burned, smoked, and made into a tea to see the divine (The Economic Culture of Drugs). In short, the coca plant held spiritual and cultural importance to those civilizations native to Peru and Bolivia. 

But, all of that shifted when the Spanish began their exploration and acquisition of South America. The presence of the Spanish introduced a rudimentary market system and upon the discovery of the profitability of benefits of the new food-drug. Coca became detrimental to the native workers as coca helped to alleviate hunger and pain especially to those that had to work in the dangerous mines of Potosi. Eventually, through modern medicine cocaine, the derivative and highly addictive form of coca was created. In the early 1900s, cocaine seemed innocent. A new drug used to alleviate pain in patients so unsuspecting that it was added to the now-famous beverage Coca-Cola. Yet, since 1918 international agreements strived to, “outlaw non-medicinal uses of cocaine. Its de-legalization removed pharmaceutical companies from production and brought in what became known as narco traficantes (narcotics traffickers),” (The Economic Culture of Drugs). Cocaine quickly became an addictive substance that ushered in a global interconnectedness and dependency for those addicted to the substance. 

However, while having cocaine in Coca-Cola fell out of style, the beverage hadn’t, but rather became an Americanized icon of western values. The speculation of Coca-Cola containing cocaine in its product was true from the years of 1885-1902 albeit small, trace amounts of the addictive substance. After 1902, the coca leaves were still a part of the drink process. But after the implementation of the prohibition in 1928 coca-cola felt pressure and, “with public pressure and Prohibition against alcohol in full force, the company was forced to remove all traces of cocaine,” (Thompson). Originally, those working within the Coca-Cola company thought this would be the end of the company, considering the inter-connectedness and apparency of coca in its product and within the name of the product. Yet, miraculously it was not, and only the beginning of the beverage’s adventure. 

Coca-Cola seemed to only grow in popularity. During World War II, one general wrote to the company and the U.S. government claiming, “We sincerely hope that your Company will be able to continue supplying us during this emergency. In our opinion, Coca-Cola could be classified as one of the essential morale-building products for the boys in the Service," (Globalization in a Bottle). This furthered Coca-Cola’s notoriety and prevalence in America as they were able to receive additional sugar rations to make Coke possible for soldiers to have during the war. 

During the Cold War, the prevalence and interlinking of Coca-Cola to the United States and Western principles became evident to the USSR. This was first seen with General Zhukov who asked Coca-Cola if it would be possible to provide Coke, but without the label, or the color. Coke happily obliged and sent Zhukov, “devised a colorless version. It was shipped to Zhukov in special cylindrical bottles, sealed with a white cap and labeled with a red Soviet star” (Globalization in a Bottle). This exemplifies how much of an Americanized beverage Coke had become as USSR figures feared to be seen drinking it and subverting to Western ideals. 

Despite having the favor of General Zhukov, Coca-Cola’s direct linkage with Western ideals negatively impacted its chances to expand under the Iron Curtain. Communist countries and their sympathizers, fearful of “Coca-Colonization” seemingly broke into hysteria. Sympathizers in France stated, “It would harm domestic wine and mineral-water industries; they even tried to have Coca-Cola outlawed on the grounds that it was poisonous,” and in other countries activists suggested that, “Coca-Cola had adverse health effects and that its spread would pollute European countries with American values,” (Globalization In A Bottle). This fear-mongering based hysteria paved the way for Pepsi to sneak under the Iron Curtain as by not directly aligning themselves with anti-communist propaganda the entrance and sales of their soft drink were quickly permitted.

Eventually, the Cold War ended, and with the fall of the Soviet Union came to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. With the collapse came the availability of Eastern Europeans to Western ideals and specifically the availability of Coke. With the collapse, many noted, “We found ourselves welcoming the new arrivals with bananas, Coca-Cola, flowers, and anything else that smacked of Western consumerism," (Globalization in a Bottle). This showed Coca-Cola’s global importance as it’s prevalence and meaning to post Cold War Europeans behind the wall, showing a global interconnectedness and understanding of Coca-Cola and the idealism behind it. 

While the fall of the Berlin Wall suggested the end of a battle on ideals, this concept is still very much prevalent within the Middle East. Coca-Cola first looked into expansion into the Middle East in 1949 but was blocked by the Israeli government and also claimed that the market was too small to be of any use to the industry. Coca-Cola’s reasoning was shaky at best and caused accusations of antisemitism. Many wondered, “If the Israeli market was too small...why was it doing business in Cyprus, an even smaller market?” This in-turn caused a mass boycott of the company’s drink until later when the company agreed to open the bottling plant in Israel rather than Cyprus. 

Many generations later, protests of Coca-Cola and American values arose in the Middle East following the Iraq War. Many youths in protest began pouring the soft-drink into the street in protests of invasion. Locally made colas faced a surge in their products. Rather than supporting companies aligning themselves with outside values, Middle Easterners focused on increasing the popularity of their drinks. Zam-Zam Cola, “an ‘Islamic’ soda made in Iran became popular in Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudia Arabia sold four million cans in its first week on sale,” (Coca-Cola In The Middle East). This was seen as helpful for the Middle East as it increased their version of nationalism while also protesting their fear of the Americanization of their country in a peaceful way rather than violence that both sides had been using.

The Coca-Cola company was risky in choosing to directly align itself with American Values, albeit this strategy was effective in some aspects, it was not pragmatic in others. This company’s strong support and start within America was beneficial during WWII as it provided an ideal tied behind its company, as the conscious purchase of this drink showed strong support for the Allied Powers and vehement opposition of the Axis Powers. The soda was used to boost morale with the soldiers so much that bottling stations were present on select camps. The drink grew out of controversy after the ban and classification of its main ingredient as a Schedule-II drug. Among this problem, the controversies surrounding Coca-Cola were often not the ingredients, but what it promoted. These opinions were always expressed by the Soviet Union and its sympathizers. Stating its worries of Americanization beyond the curtain and the adoption of the universal ideal of “Coca-Colonization”, this ideal simmered down after the fall of the Berlin Wall, yet was picked up by the Middle East, but this time executed in peaceful protests and their support of soda through Middle Eastern soda companies rather than outside values.

Globalization, the idea, and practice of global interconnectedness of goods, services, and ideas have a prevalent impact throughout the course of human history. As long as the species was able to be mobile, our species was constantly finding ways to become globally interconnected and dependent on other civilizations. This was seen clearly with coca, a plant native to Peru and Bolivia and its eventual decline into the infamous drug cocaine, and its popular and now coca free soft drink “Coca-Cola”. The process of globalization while not always beneficial, as seen with cocaine, can have positive benefits such as soft drinks.

Works Cited:

“The Economic Culture of Drugs.” The World That Trade Created (Society, Culture, and  the World Economy, 1400 to the Present), by Kenneth Pomeranz and Steven  Topik, Routledge, 2018, pp. 114–118.

“Globalization in a Bottle.” A History of the World in Six Glasses, by Tom Standage,  Atlantic, 2007, pp. 250–265.

Thompson, Sarah. “Coca-Cola's Scandalous Past.” NIDA, National Institute on Drug  Abuse, 1 Mar. 2012, teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/coca-colas-scandalous-past.