Anthems of the Soviet Socialist Republics within the USSR

[Ismail]

I'm sure everyone here knows 'bout the USSR's anthem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U06jlgpMtQs). Less known is the fact that each Soviet Socialist Republic within the USSR (except Russia) had its own national anthem as well, which fit in with the fact that, on paper, each SSR was practically its own country complete with flags, communist parties (again, excepting Russia), foreign ministries, etc.

Ukrainian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClPhN9ES9to
Byelorussian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IHCLNRs2sM
Moldavian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILQbpuBYR-I
Kazakh SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhcbvA6I5zo
Uzbek SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFgQdap0qFE
Tajik SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-jMpVBxBA
Kirghiz SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNJcYeIjBxg
Turkmen SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT-coHqjoTU
Georgian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnililsVlg4
Armenian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv-qaYm4zNo
Azerbaijan SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJGZ-oSCEiw
Estonian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE_W18umcZs
Lithuanian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw3ajv7xbJA
Latvian SSR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRLj6nH-e84

The Karelo-Finnish SSR (which lasted from 1940-1956) also had its own anthem, but only a midi version exists online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA0AYeU9Fbw

Most of the anthems are pretty good.

[Mass Grave Aesthetics]

This certainly elevates the soul!
Which one is your favourite, Ismail?

[RedWorker]

This certainly elevates the soul!
Which one is your favourite, Ismail?

Albanian SSR.

[Mass Grave Aesthetics]

Albanian SSR.
That's a given (as the favourite anthem in general) but Albania wasn't a part of the USSR.

[Rafiq]

The lyrics possess an aura of satirizing ridiculousness only because we view them in an already mocking fashion which has been definitive of our prevailing understanding of Ideology in former Communist states. We view it as ridiculous because ideology is largely consciously (honestly) presented in former Communist states. Second, the functions of their state-apparatus collapsed and were left bear to be consumed by ours - as illegitimate.

If the liberal apparatus lost legitimacy and we looked back upon it as such, it would be much worse as far as the US goes. What people forget is that small ideological platitudes (i.e. "God bless America! Land of the free!") are not reinforced through pure reason but with power behind them. And power is more than just force. It was the same in former Communist states.

Not to get off topic as I already somewhat have, but one thing I find interesting is how we conceptualize Fascism in comparison. We articulate the thousand-year reich as being a real possibility, of the Germans as actually potentially being a master-race - we take seriously fascism because we secretly sustain its possibility even today. We think it was possible, but hold our inner-fascist temptations in check by saying it is 'evil' or morally condemnable. Conversely we look back on 20th century Communism as a joke, an impossibility. We have to articulate it cynically as a joke to account for it seriously. We can't take it seriously in the manner we do Fascism - because if we did, we would be overwhelmed by its world-historical superiority and its present emancipatory potential.

[RedKobra]

I won't lie, these get the juices flowing.

[Ismail]

Which one is your favourite, Ismail?The Ukrainian and Estonian anthems are probably the ones I like most, but as I said most of them are pretty good.


Albanian SSR.Albania has had the same anthem since 1912: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SBa8jcObEg

It's okay as an anthem. Lyrics-wise it's fairly generic "we have a nation state and will defend it, hooray."

IIRC all the East European states' anthems in the 40s-80s were songs from the 19th or early 20th centuries with national themes.