"Some, I hear bitterly say / 'socialism – sure, why not / but what they're giving us / that's the wrong thing'". With lines like these, Wolf Biermann and many other musicians from Eastern Germany expressed their frustration with their state. Despite censorship and the danger of imprisonment, they expressed their political opinion and influenced those that listened to them. But to what extend did they dare to do so? And did they all share the same views?
The Cold War is one of the most relevant and often-ven just within the counter-culture of eastern Germany, only one of many countries one could choose to focus on, there was a wide range of art and activism against the state, and even outside the big revolutions of 1953 and 1989, the people were as vocal as they were able to be. Not all of them shared the same opinion and if they did reject their state or its policies, they all did it in very different ways for different reasons. Especially the topic of music shows this very well. Music is one of the ways in which people express their emotions and thoughts the most clearly, and while states attempted to use musicians for their own purposes, especially those living in repressive regimes formed underground cultures and wrote music to counter them. This paper investigates two of such musicians and places them in the wider context of Cold War resistance.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- 1. Music within the confines of the state
- 2. Crossing borders
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to explore the relationship between music, political expression, and state control in the GDR during the Cold War. It examines how musicians within the East German context navigated censorship and expressed their political opinions, often through coded messages and metaphors.
- Censorship and state control over music and art in the GDR
- Political expression in music: veiled messages and metaphors
- The impact of state policies on musicians' choices to stay or leave the GDR
- The risks and consequences of dissent and political activism in the GDR
- The evolution of East German music scene and its reflection of societal tensions
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This introductory chapter sets the context of the Cold War and its impact on East German society and culture. It highlights the importance of understanding the complexities of the Cold War and the ways in which it affected ordinary people, particularly artists.
- 1. Music within the confines of the state: This chapter delves into the strict censorship imposed by the GDR government on music and art. It explores the strategies used by musicians to navigate these restrictions, including using metaphors and veiled messages. The chapter also examines the historical context of the GDR's cultural policies and the perceived threats posed by Western influences.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics of this essay include: East Germany (GDR), Cold War, music, censorship, political expression, state control, dissidents, underground culture, emigration, societal tensions, cultural policies, and the impact of history on art.
- Quote paper
- Cornelia Jürgens (Author), 2020, Censorship, socialism and fame. Expressions of political feelings through music in the GDR, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1119526
