In this first segment, we investigate the notion that music as a form of communication has inherent power; and in having power music itself can function as a political tool. We also overview how certain forms of music in the West, via the onset of industrial capitalism and the market economy, |
Let's set the scene by listening to Cream and 'Politician' Cream - Politician
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Western Popular Music has proven a powerful force spreading `Western Cultural imperialism’ or Western values globally. It has been a powerful political tool socialising political cultures. The most powerful Popular Music since the 1950s, arguably, has been Rock n Roll. |
Elvis - I Got A Woman
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1968 was a watershed year in the West. It heralded both political revolution and one could argue a rock revolution. In 1968, the US position in Vietnam began to collapse and it began to retreat from Asia. America was torn by social upheaval and |
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Woodstock
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The 1970s saw the Western world in 'retreat'. The US was defeated in Vietnam and shaken by Watergate. The Soviet Union continued to spread its influence and the Third World was swept by a wave of revolutions. The counterculture had lost its way. |
T Rex - Children Of The Revolution
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The 1980s through to the 21st Century was an era of massive global political change. Most prominently the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed. In short the West triumphed. But what sort of West was it? |
Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
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In Part Two of Rocking The World we explore
a number of important political themes prevalent in Modern Western Popular Music. These themes include Peace & Anti-War, Drugs & Sexuality, the Environment, and Human Rights & Class. |
Go To Rocking The World - Part Two: Political Themes In Popular Music |