Rock music in the German Democratic Republic during the 1970s

Jane Vetter

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Project Report from the year 2007 in the subject Musicology - Miscellaneous, University of North Florida, language: English, abst...

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Project Report from the year 2007 in the subject Musicology - Miscellaneous, University of North Florida, language: English, abstract: Since the early 1950s, the East German leadership rejected the Anglo-American imperialist mass culture including its musical influences (Kirchenwitz 7). Western pop culture was seen as class enemy. Institutions monitored youth groups who met to listen to rock music and drank a lot of alcohol; this way of life was regarded as "decadent" and not exemplary. The majority of people rejected such teenage behavior since it offended values such as decency, order and tidiness (Maase 12-3). The problem of the youth was not necessarily the Nazi past of their parents, but the continuous dogmatism of parents, teachers and the ruling party in East Germany, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). This supported the development of a cultural milieu, which was against the ordinary beliefs of the political elite (Kirchenwitz 6). The following paper will cover these emerging subcultures during the 1970s in connection with musical influences coming from the West. It will identify popular East German bands and explain the conflict between youth interest and public claims. Furthermore, the essay will describe the overall setting of the German Democratic Republic in order to increase the value of comprehension and understanding in today's totally different world and time.