Motor of Westernisation
The Soviet Estrada 1950-1975
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
After Stalin’s death, the break up of the monolithic character of Soviet culture also extended to the estrada, the Soviet form of popular song. The interplay of state influence, public interests, and production conditions gave artists more freedom. The politically acceptable shliager, as the successful type of song was also called, occupied an important place in Soviet society from the 1950s to the 1980s. The estrada was a motor of westernization.
(Osteuropa 4/2012, pp. 21–36)