Coming to Terms with the National-Socialist Past and the Formation of Historical Memory in German-Language Musical Culture (1960s–1990s)

This thesis is dedicated to the study of the role of German-speaking musical culture in overcoming the traumatic experience of Nazism and shaping the historical memory of it in the second half of the 20th century. The research covers popular music from Austria, West Germany, and East Germany, examining how reflections on the Nazi past, its consequences, and its impact on everyday life were depicted in musical texts. The aim of the study was to identify the memorial narrative of the difficult past and the image of the totalitarian regime in musical culture in Austria, West Germany, and East Germany. To achieve this goal, the development of understanding the difficult past in the societies of both German states and in Austria was examined, and a number of texts were analyzed and compared for reflections on the Nazi past and understanding of the totalitarian regime. The methodology of the study is based on the experience of memory studies and trauma studies, involving the analysis of artistic texts. Song lyrics written between the 1960s and 1990s in West Germany, East Germany, and Austria served as the primary sources for this work. The research revealed that the reflection on Nazism in the German-speaking musical culture was multifaceted. The song lyrics expressed various perspectives on Nazism and its consequences, utilizing different memorial strategies. At the same time, common trends were identified, such as using images of Nazism as a form of protest and criticism of the existing political situation. Based on the findings, conclusions were drawn regarding the relationship between musical culture and socio-political processes in Germany and Austria. Recommendations for further research in the field of reflecting on the Nazi past in music were also proposed.