The Lied von der blauen Fahne (Song of the Blue Flag) was an East German patriotic song written by Johannes R. Becher and set to music by Hanns Eisler. Both Becher and Eisler were also the creators of Auferstanden aus Ruinen, which became the national anthem of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
History
In 1949, the GDR was founded in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany, which was in place since 1945 after Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II. German communists sought to boost the picture of the GDR as being the first anti-Fascist state on German soil. Unlike West Germany (FRG), the GDR refused to recognize its responsibility for the atrocities committed by the Nazis as it regarded itself as a new socialist national entity that had defeated Nazism.
This official state myth thus enabled the development of a strongly outwardly patriotic ideology East Germany whereas West Germany had a more more uncertain public or manifest relationship to its own national identity.
As the GDR still wanted to reunify Germany in its early years, patriotic and propaganda songs constantly mentioned the country as a whole. Especially in the 1950s, patriotic songs praising Germany, German unity and the future of a new, democratic nation were produced and promoted by the GDR government, the socialist party and its sub-organizations.
One of these songs was the Song of the Blue Flag which referred to the flag of the party's youth organisation, the Freie Deutsche Jugend. Its authors, Hanns Eisler and Johannes R. Becher, had also written East Germany's national anthem and other patriotic songs.
The official attitude of the socialist government towards Germany changed in 1974 when the constitution was modified and all passages referring to the country as a whole or the GDR as a "socialist state of the German nation" were effaced. Hence, the lyrics of the national anthem exalting "Germany, our united fatherland" fell out of use, too, as did all songs about a united Germany thad had hitherto been sung.
Lyrics
| German original | English translation |
|---|---|
|
Auf den Straßen, auf den Bahnen |
On the streets and on the paths |
See also
References
- Benz, Wolfgang (ed.). Deutschland unter alliierter Besatzung 1945–1949. Die DDR 1949–1990. 10th edition: 2009. Page XXII.
- König, Daniel. Patriotismus in Deutschland. Diplomica Verlag: Hamburg, 2012. Page 63.
- Heimböckel, Dieter. Uwe Werlein (ed.). Verlag Königshausen & Neumann: Würzburg, 2005. Der Bildhunger der Literatur. Festschrift für Gunter E. Grimm. Page 308.
- Weber, Hermann. Die DDR. 1945–1990. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag: München, 2006. Page 84.
External links
- Lied von der blauen Fahne on YouTube.
