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Club, Stage, Wall

From left to right: Konstantin Krieter (historian), Rik De Lisle (radio presenter), Dr Michael C. Bienert (chair and managing director of the Ernst Reuter Archive Foundation), Christoph Dieckmann (journalist), Dr Jens Schöne (Deputy Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship), Prof. Uta Poiger, Ph.D. (historian), Dr Florian Völker (research assistant), Dr Nikolai Okunew (research assistant), Lutz Schramm (journalist).

Image credits »© Landesarchiv Berlin/André Wunstorf.

Barclay James Harvest concert in front of the Reichstag building, August 30, 1980.

Image credits »© akg-images, AKG9110946 (Peter Hebler).

Rolling Stones concert at the Waldbühne, June 8, 1982.

Image credits »© akg-images, AKG7770857 (Peter Hebler).

Club, Stage, Wall.

Popular Music and Politics in Divided Berlin

November 28, 2023, 10:00 to 18:30

A joint workshop organized by the Ernst Reuter Archives Foundation and the Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship

Popular music was a fundamental element of the ideological conflict in East and West Berlin. In the divided metropolis, where opposing sides existed within sight and earshot of each other, constant interaction was evident. This included the growing influence of jazz, which was initially viewed with suspicion by the authorities in both halves of the city in the 1950s, rumored and actual tour dates by the Rolling Stones, as well as the large open-air concerts of David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, who performed both east and west of the Wall in the 1980s. These events never stood exclusively on their own but rather revealed political dimensions that (whether intentionally or not) reflected developments in the respective halves of the city.

The Ernst Reuter Archives Foundation explored this fascinating subject area together with the Berlin Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship. In a workshop held on November 28, 2023, the multifaceted impact of music and live concerts in Berlin between the early 1950s and late 1980s was traced. Through a blend of presentations and panel discussions, experts and contemporary witnesses explored questions such as the significance of popular music in the conflict between the two ideological systems and how this was exploited.

We would like to thank all participants for their contribution to this wonderful event. The program can be found here.