本文采用文化帝国主义理论范式和媒介史研究方法，对1950年之前美国电影业的历史进行批判性考察，分别从社会、文本和机构三个维度发掘电影业在整合美利坚民族、建构共享文化并最终使这种文化称霸世界的过程中发挥的重要功能。通过对文化帝国主义相关理论进行综述和剖析，本文提出：文化帝国的建设是一个由内而外的过程，是一种对民族身份的建构与想象，以及这种想象在全球范围内的传播。在基于军事侵略和领土占领的旧式帝国主义已难以大规模存在的情况下，文化成为美国打造全球“帝国”的重要武器。文化拥有种种具体的政治、意识形态和社会生活意涵，在人们的潜意识中长期存在，且左右着人们对世界的看法。在后殖民时代，文化帝国主义已然成为帝国主义的主要内容。美国的文化产业，尤其是以好莱坞为代表的电影业，一方面通过机构层面的调整与变迁、与政府及保守宗教势力的冲突与妥协，直接参与美国文化的全球传播；另一方面，也借助通行的视觉语言将种族驳杂、信仰多元、异质性极高的美国移民社会整合为统一的美利坚民族，并经由产业策略的调整使电影成为中产阶级和工人阶级的共享文化。简而言之，在社会冲突和政治经济力量的规训下，好莱坞得以成功在美国国民心中建构起关于“美利坚民族性”的身份想象，并借助20世纪上半叶的有利国际环境将其成功输出至世界各地。通过种种显见或隐在的方式，好莱坞在全世界范围内建构了一种以美国为领导者的全球新秩序的想象。作为世界电影工业的中心，好莱坞对人类文化生活和思维方式的影响力是毋庸置疑的。好莱坞设立了一种难以超越的商业“典范”，以至于其他国家的电影若想在国际文化竞争中赢得一席之地，除效仿好莱坞，几无他法。通过对早期好莱坞的历史进行研究，本文站在第三世界研究者的立场提出了一系列民族电影发展的理论，强调中国电影须建立在根植于大众文化土壤之中且将文化差异非政治化的民主式美学的基础上，并将整合本民族文化身份作为走向世界的出发点。

Using cultural imperialism theories and media history research methods, this dissertation discusses the history of pre-1950s American cinema in a critical sense. The discussion is conducted from social, textual and organizational perspectives to discover how the film industry functions in cultivating the American identity, constructing a common culture and achieving global cultural dominance.As the old-fashion imperialism which takes military invasion and colonialism as its main forms faded in the 20th century, culture has been playing an increasingly important role in the global communication of the so-called “Americanness.” In the post-colonial era, imperialism has mainly manifested itself in cultural imperialism.The cultural industries of the U.S., especially the film industry, with Hollywood as its prevailing symbol, have been crucial in the global communication of American culture. In addition, employing the universal visual language, cinema manages to integrate the racially, religiously and linguistically heterogeneous U.S. society into a highly cohesive American identity, laying solid groundwork for the future global American cultural empire. Watching films thus becomes a culture shared by both the working class and the middle class. In short, cinema has not only successfully constructed an imagined identity of “American nationality” among the U.S. public, but also exported such an image worldwide in order to build a brand-new, America-led international order.As the center of the world’s film industry, Hollywood’s impact on the cultural life and way of thinking in the 20th century cannot be over emphasized. By establishing a “perfect” commercial model, Hollywood has managed to maintain its influence for almost a century. For film makers from other countries, to succeed almost means to more or less follow the Hollywood paradigm, both industrially and aesthetically. Thus, the most important goal of this research is to develop the third-world countries’ own media theories, which, according to my observations and discussions, must be based on the de-politicalization of natural and social differences, and a pro-popular taste and democratic aesthetics.