---
title: "Hollywood — AP World History Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Hollywood is the American film industry that spread globally after 1900, a CED-listed example of globalized popular culture in Topic 9.6 alongside Bollywood."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-world/key-terms/hollywood"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP World History: Modern"
unit: "Unit 9"
---

# Hollywood — AP World History Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

In AP World History, Hollywood is the American film industry that became a dominant force in global popular culture during the 20th century, named in the CED (Topic 9.6) as an example of how arts and entertainment transcended national borders in an era of globalization.

## What It Is

Hollywood is shorthand for the American movie industry, centered in Los Angeles, that grew into the world's most influential entertainment exporter over the 20th century. For [AP World](/ap-world "fv-autolink"), the actual studios and stars matter less than what Hollywood represents. It's the CED's go-to example of globalized culture, named directly in Topic 9.6 alongside [Bollywood](/ap-world/key-terms/bollywood "fv-autolink"), K-pop, reggae, and World Cup soccer as evidence that popular and consumer culture became global, especially in the second half of the century.

Think of Hollywood as culture behaving like a global commodity. American films were watched, copied, and remixed everywhere, spreading American fashion, slang, and consumer habits along with the stories. That's the core 9.6 idea in action: entertainment stopped being national and started being something the whole world consumed (and sometimes pushed back against).

## Why It Matters

Hollywood lives in **[Unit 9](/ap-world/unit-9 "fv-autolink"): Globalization, 1900-Present**, specifically **Topic 9.6: Globalized Culture after 1900**. It directly supports learning objective **AP World 9.6.A**, which asks you to explain how and why globalization changed culture over time. The essential knowledge for 9.6 lists Hollywood by name as an example of global movies, right next to Bollywood. That pairing is the point. Hollywood shows American culture going global, while Bollywood shows that [cultural globalization](/ap-world/key-terms/cultural-globalization "fv-autolink") wasn't a one-way street from the U.S. to everyone else. Together they let you argue both cultural diffusion AND the rise of regional cultural powers, which is exactly the kind of nuance Unit 9 questions reward.

## Connections

### [Bollywood (Unit 9)](/ap-world/key-terms/bollywood)

Bollywood is the Indian film industry and Hollywood's CED-listed partner example in [Topic 9.6](/ap-world/unit-9/globalized-culture-after-1900/study-guide/cJVE4EUt67Izah4u1L11 "fv-autolink"). Pairing them lets you argue that globalized culture flowed in multiple directions, not just out of the United States.

### [Consumer Culture (Unit 9)](/ap-world/key-terms/consumer-culture)

Hollywood didn't just sell movies, it sold a lifestyle. Films advertised American products, fashion, and habits, fueling the global [consumer culture](/ap-world/key-terms/consumer-culture "fv-autolink") that 9.6 says transcended national borders alongside brands like Coca-Cola and Toyota.

### [American pop culture (Unit 9)](/ap-world/key-terms/american-pop-culture)

Hollywood is the engine of [American pop culture](/ap-world/key-terms/american-pop-culture "fv-autolink")'s global spread. If an essay asks how U.S. culture reached the rest of the world after 1945, Hollywood films (plus music and TV) are your most concrete evidence.

### [Shared culture (Unit 9)](/ap-world/key-terms/shared-culture)

Hollywood blockbusters, like World Cup soccer and social media, created common cultural reference points across continents. That [shared culture](/ap-world/key-terms/shared-culture "fv-autolink") is one of the clearest 'changes' you can cite when explaining how globalization reshaped daily life.

## On the AP Exam

Hollywood shows up mostly in Unit 9 multiple-choice and short-answer questions about cultural globalization. Expect stems that ask which phenomenon best exemplifies how globalization transformed popular culture, or continuity-and-change questions about the global film industry from 1950 to 2000 (Hollywood's dominance is the continuity; the rise of Bollywood and other regional industries is the change). Practice questions also like comparison setups, such as comparing Bollywood's global influence to other cultural phenomena, where Hollywood is the natural benchmark. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but Hollywood works as concrete evidence in any LEQ or DBQ on how globalization changed culture (AP World 9.6.A). Your job is to use it as evidence for an argument, not just name-drop it. Say what spread, where, and what changed because of it.

## Hollywood vs Bollywood

Hollywood is the American film industry; Bollywood is the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India. The exam doesn't just want you to tell them apart, it wants you to use them together. Hollywood demonstrates American cultural dominance going global, while Bollywood proves that non-Western industries also became global cultural forces, especially after 1990. Citing both shows the multidirectional nature of cultural globalization.

## Key Takeaways

- Hollywood is the American film industry, and the AP World CED lists it in Topic 9.6 as a named example of globalized movies alongside Bollywood.
- Hollywood supports learning objective AP World 9.6.A, explaining how and why globalization changed culture over time, especially after 1945.
- Hollywood films spread American consumer culture worldwide, tying cultural globalization to global brands and consumerism.
- On continuity-and-change questions about film from 1950 to 2000, Hollywood's global dominance is a continuity, while the rise of Bollywood and other regional industries is a change.
- The strongest exam move is pairing Hollywood with Bollywood to show that cultural globalization flowed in multiple directions, not just from the United States outward.

## FAQs

### What is Hollywood in AP World History?

Hollywood is the American film industry, used in Topic 9.6 of the AP World CED as a key example of how entertainment and popular culture became globalized after 1900. It's evidence for explaining how globalization changed culture over time (LO 9.6.A).

### How is Hollywood different from Bollywood?

Hollywood is the U.S. film industry; Bollywood is the Hindi-language film industry centered in Mumbai, India. On the exam, Hollywood usually represents American cultural influence spreading globally, while Bollywood shows that cultural globalization also flowed from non-Western regions.

### Was Hollywood the only global film industry in the 20th century?

No. While Hollywood dominated for much of the century, Bollywood grew into a massive global force, especially after 1990, and the CED lists both. Recognizing this shift is exactly the kind of continuity-and-change point Unit 9 questions look for.

### Why does AP World care about Hollywood?

Because it's a concrete example of the Topic 9.6 essential knowledge that popular and consumer culture became global and transcended national borders, especially in the second half of the 20th century. It sits alongside K-pop, reggae, social media, and the World Cup as evidence of a shared global culture.

### Could Hollywood show up on an AP World FRQ?

No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but Hollywood is strong evidence for LEQs or DBQs about cultural globalization in Unit 9. Use it to support an argument about how culture changed after 1900, ideally paired with Bollywood for a multidirectional take.

## Related Study Guides

- [9.6 Globalized Culture after 1900](/ap-world/unit-9/globalized-culture-after-1900/study-guide/cJVE4EUt67Izah4u1L11)

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