One of the most important factors of a nation is knowing how to unite its citizens through different means. Finding a way to communicate a nation’s core values helps boost both morale and the legitimacy of the nation itself. There are a multitude of theorists that present their ideas of how nations themselves are created. In particular, the concepts of ethnic symbolisms and invented traditions are significant ideas that are prevalent in the consideration of how states come to be. Anthony Smith believes that nations grow out of ethnic symbolisms, making the people in communities the most vital part of developing a nation (13-16). This can be considered a “bottom-up” force, meaning that the community influences higher forces and has more of a say in how a nation is created and defined. Smith’s theory also implies that this process makes sure that the values a nation is founded upon are truly of the people, which is why they believe in their nation. In contrast, Eric Hobsbawm argues that nations are a product of invented tradition that utilize “top-down” forces (Smith, 76-80). Instead of the community generating their own values and morale for their nation, they rely on the government to assign and invent traditions that legitimize their country. Through this process, higher forces are able to manipulate the values of the nation. Both theorists provide thoughtful explanations as to why they feel this way, but rather than believing that one of these theories is universal and applicable to the creation of all nations, it seems that both theories are true in different scenarios around the world.
Of the tactics available for bottom-up and top-down forces to utilize to enforce their national values, the use of national anthems and patriotic songs are effective in shaping and reflecting a nation’s identity. National anthems aim to unite a country’s citizens and emphasize their pride in their country. As a result of this, the instrumentals behind current national anthems tend to be grandiose and somewhat emotional. In addition to the meaning of the lyrics, even the instrumentals used to represent a nation are reflective of a nation’s identity. Since official anthems are formally assigned by the government, it can usually be assumed that anthems are a form of top-down force that identifies a country’s values. However, the relationship between citizens and their anthem is more complex than what meets the eye, often with pre-existing ideas from citizens helping shape what is officially declared the national anthem.
The Spanish national anthem, La Marcha Real, has one trait that makes it stand out significantly from other anthems – its lack of lyrics. In most cases, nations declare a specific set of lyrics to be used for the national anthem. This practice exemplifies the use of top-down force to communicate a nation’s values to its citizens. However, Spain’s decision to not assign a message to the national anthem contrasts Hobsbawm’s theory of top-down forces defining a nation. Previously there had been lyrics used for this military march under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, where facist lyrics were used with the instrumental (Moreno-Luzón). After Franco passed, the lyrics were completely discontinued in an attempt to forget about that part of Spanish history. Many citizens have taken matters into their own hands and written their own lyrics to the anthem. Although none of these lyrics have been officially recognized by the Spanish government, this scenario adheres to Smith’s theory of ethnic symbolisms. Citizens are given the opportunity to create their own unique interpretations of their anthem and aren’t assigned a specific message. Subsequently, La Marcha Real is capable of having a meaningful connection to all citizens of Spain. Deustchlandlied presents a similar scenario to Spain, since its lyrics are associated with history that the country would like to leave behind. When Germany was under Nazi leadership, Deustchlandlied was used to communicate Nazi values and propaganda, with much emphasis on imperialism (Hanson). This was particularly evident in the first stanza, where the lyrics specifically described which areas of land Germany was in charge of. Deustchlandlied also had an intense association with military glory, which helped enforce the Nazi’s message. After World War II, despite other lyrics being considered as replacement for Deustchlandlied, Germany chose to retain the third stanza of the previous lyrics as the official national anthem. In contrast to La Marcha Real, this decision exemplifies the use of top-down forces to unite a country. Although the full set of lyrics were part of Germany’s dark past, rather than completely erasing them and leaving the anthem up for interpretation, Germany assigned a specific message that they believed represented their current values. This scenario mirrors Hobsbawm’s theory of invented tradition in many aspects. During Nazi rule, the higher forces utilized invented tradition to promote their propaganda. This tactic was successful in impacting citizens, since most people knew the lyrics to Deustchlandlied by the time World War II ended. The trend of invented tradition continued. Since this knowledge of the song was already ingrained in citizens, rather than attempting to create a completely new tradition, Germany chose to maintain this tradition but alter it in an attempt to fit the nation’s new values.
Spain and Germany’s unique tactics to unite their nations through their anthems showcase how theories on how nations are created are not universal, but can be applied to different scenarios. Although they used different approaches, the national anthems of these two nations are an integral part of their national identity. Their choices to keep their national anthems with some alterations from history they don’t want to associate with also demonstrate the value of long-standing traditions during the creation of national identities. As society continues to change and develop, it is possible that these two nations’ anthems will continue to change in order to fit their desired national identity.
Works Cited
Hanson, Josef. “German National Song in the Third Reich: A Tale of Two Anthems.” Music & Politics, vol. 7, no. 1, 2013. University of Michigan Library, https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mp/9460447.0007.104?view=text;rgn=main.
Moreno-Luzón, Javier. “The strange case of a national anthem without lyrics: music and political identities in Spain (1785–1913).” Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies, vol. 23, no. 3, 2017, pp. 367-382. Taylor & Francis Online, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14701847.2017.1385220.
Smith, Anthony D. Theories of Nationalism. Duckworth, 1971.
Bebe - your in-depth analysis of how nations use anthems to forge identity, drawing on Smith and Hobsbawm's theories, is a fascinating read. The contrasting cases of Spain's lyric-less anthem and Germany's selective retention of its historical anthem illustrate the complex interplay between top-down and bottom-up forces in national identity formation. It made me reflect on the subtle yet powerful ways in which symbols, like anthems, are employed to communicate and reinforce national values. Your blog poses an intriguing question: How do these symbols evolve as a nation's identity and values shift over time, and what role do citizens play in this evolutionary process? The dynamic nature of national identity, as seen through the lens of anthems, is a compelling…