Music was part of the cultural support of the earliest revolutions, and institutionalized as a genre of socialist or workers' music in countries including the
Soviet Union, its former
Eastern European satellites,
China,
Vietnam,
Cuba and
North Korea, as well as less permanent revolutionary movements in other countries.
French Revolution During the
French Revolution, notable songs, beyond "
La Marseillaise", included "", "
Carmagnole",
"" (1790), "" (1790), "" (1790), "" (1790), "", and many more.
American Revolution Songs during the
American Revolutionary War with revolutionary lyrics and propaganda purposes include songs such as "
Dying Redcoat", "
Free America", "
Poor Old Tory", and "
Jefferson and Liberty".
Greek Revolution The successful
Greek War of Independence between 1821 and 1832, generated not only revolutionary songs in Greece, but wide artistic and musical support from other western nations.
Revolutions of 1848 The
Revolutions of 1848 in Europe generated a wide range of revolutionary, nationalist and patriotic popular song. This tapped into earlier support for the Napoleonic revolutions. The current Romanian national anthem "" is a revolutionary song of 1848.
Russian Revolution Revolutionary songs were used by the
Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution, with "
The Internationale" becoming the national anthem of the
USSR later on.
Spanish Civil War Many revolutionary songs appeared during the
Spanish Civil War and subsequent
social revolution, especially amongst members of the
anarcho-syndicalist trade union, the . The most famous of these, "", remains popular for anarchist militants to this day.
Europe In post-
World War II Europe, revolutionary songs were taught in schools and sung at celebrations and
official functions.
China Revolutionary songs were a prominent part of the popular culture of the
People's Republic of China during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and especially during the
Cultural Revolution. One of the more popular Chinese revolutionary songs was "
Nanniwan", a 1943 song lauding the exploits of the
Eighth Route Army in the titular gorge in
Shaanxi province near the revolutionary base of
Yan'an. Revolutionary songs of Communist China often served to glorify the
Chinese Communist Revolution and to present an image of unity amongst China's 56 ethnic groups and its various regions. Songs such as "
The Sky Above the Liberated Zone" (praising the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and romanticizing life in the CCP-held liberated zones during the wars against
Japan and the
Kuomintang) and "
Osmanthus Flowers Blooming Everywhere in August", a
Chinese Red Army folk song from the
Sichuan province, are among the best-known revolutionary songs from the wartime and
Maoist periods in China.
North Korea Vietnam , "Red Music," is the common name of the revolutionary music () genre in Vietnam. Composers during the struggle against the French include
Đinh Nhu then songwriters of
Vietnamese popular music such as
Văn Cao.
Cuba and Latin America Cuba's national anthem "" ("") dates to 1868, but many new songs were generated by the revolution. The key focus is on the rural people. "" (1965) was written when
Che Guevara departed Cuba to spread the revolution in Africa. Another well known Latin American song, "" (1973), is not a revolutionary song, but a
Chilean protest song in support of
Salvador Allende. Cuban government sponsored revolutionary is often similar to , Latin American
protest songs.
Iranian Revolution Following the
Iranian Revolution musicians were obliged to create music different from the pre-revolutionary music both in terms of rhythm and content. Iranian revolutionary songs () are epic ballads, composed during the Islamic Revolution in
Iran in support of the revolution and in opposition to the
Pahlavi dynasty. Before the success of the revolution, these chants were made by various political supporters – many of them recorded on cassette tapes in underground and home studios. On the anniversary of the revolution, many of the songs were broadcast by Iranian state television. In schools the songs have been sung by students as part of the celebrations Fajr for decades. ==Musical genres==