Marshallism In Germany

Two nations arose from the ashes of the Third Reich, West Germany, the BDR, occupied by the Western members of the Allied powers, and East Germany, the GDR, occupied by the Soviet Union. As a result of conflicting ideals between East and West, the two Germany’s would develop separately until their eventual reunification at the end of the 20th century. It is an indisputable fact that German culture was forever changed as a result of the outcome of World War II, and the horrors perpetrated by Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. From the moment of surrender onwards, the culture of Germany would begin to be defined by the occupiers of Germany. In West Germany, this influence was spear-headed by American implementation of the Marshall Plan. While the Marshall
It would also be defined by it’s strong ties with the countercultural movement. It was in the late sixties that things began to drastically change in Germany. The student protest movement was prevalent, with young Germans questioning their past in the process of Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung, (Dirke) and for the first time as a result of the United State’s imperialist policies in regards to Vietnam America was no longer pedestal worthy in the eyes of young Germans. This would result in recognition of an “Anglo-American cultural occupying force” at play(Stubbs), and highlight the true lack of self determined German music. In the midst of this turmoil, the bands that would come to umbrellaed under the name “Krautrock” began to emerge. Irmin Schmidt, co founder of the band CAN characterizes the reality of the time. “Until the late sixties, everything came from outside. Everything was imitation, especially of the English. But that was normal, especially after the devastation suffered by German culture.” It was clear then that the only way to move towards a truer form of German music was rejection of American and British rock and jazz music that had infected the cultural identity of
While not all Krautrock bands were directly active in protest or politics, a significant portion were. Amon Düül was an important early Krautrock band that served as “the musical arm of an anarchist-libertarian commune formed in Munich in 1968.” (DeRogatis). The band was closely tied with the student protest movement, as well as radical groups like Kommune 1, perpetrators of the so called “Pudding Assassination” of U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey, an act of protest against continued American presence in Vietnam. Similarly provocative was CAN, which was reported to be an acronym for “Communism, Anarchy, Nihilism” by drummer Jaki Liebezeit (Kostopoulos). Meanwhile, Kraftwerk’s album Radio-Activity speaks to the impending doom associated with nuclear technology, the opening track being the foreboding sound of a Geiger counter picking up speed, commentary well in line with the beliefs of the Green Party. The bands also had a tendency to explore and comment on German identity, directly relatable to discussion occurring in the protests of the 68’ers. Jean-Herve Peron of Faust offered, “We’re German, we’re not afraid of it, we’re not ashamed of it, and we make different music.” (DeRogatis). Such a statement could only occur in the context of Krautrocks strict departure not only from non-German influence, but also to the new cultural identity that was slowly being formed. Amon Düül’s album Made in