Free to Rock reflection paper, Beatrix Benke

Watching this movie gave many answers to simple everyday questions regarding the era of
Cold War. The ones who lived in that period either appraise it and wish to go back to the
“good old days”, for others it is something that they would like to forget. That is why this
documentary was so special, it showed via everyday artists and incremental politicians the
power of music on both sides of the world.

The documentary starts with showing former president Carter and former Soviet leader
Gorbachev introducing the era and we could hear their opinion about music and the influence
of cultural diplomacy. The first unexpected, though prominent part was the inclusion of Elvis
into the political arena, I was aware of the fact that he was a soldier in Germany, but the
assumption that the Americans sent him to Germany as a countereffect on the East is
something quite unexpected, but a logical one. Although he did not represent the future rock
and roll genre, the impact and effect on the society was undebatable.

The oppression of the 60s and 70s are those things which are taught in the school, but not like
this, not on the individual level and certainly not from survivals. The fact that one of the
artists lived in a same house as one of the KGB officers and made his own illegal guitar is
fascinating and honorable, but he paid the price for this. Another element, which is so difficult
to understand is how the Ministry of Culture was involved in the whole process of music
making, the had a monopoly on music making studios, the guitars were also sold via their
companies, and of course electric guitars were banned, the lyrics had to be about 2 topics,
love or the affection toward the socialist system.

But the overall most ambiguous was the deep devotion of American rock and roll on the
Soviet side. People were so crazy about that music nothing could stop them. If this is not the
whole purpose of cultural democracy, to unite the people no matter of their culture, habits or
even language, it gives the impression that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was by it. In
the 70s and 80s with the assistance of the CIA, the Radio Free Europe broadcasted the current
rock and rolls, many bands were even invited to the SU, though with strict KGB control. After
Gorbachev came to power, this strictness was lifted, he realized the power of music and the
will of the people for change, and he in some ways helped it.

What I found quite unbelievable was that the movie tried to show that popularity was the only
reason why people rioted against the system. There are countless other reasons why a person
can rebel against the current system; in this case, rock and roll made it easier and functioned
basically as a tool in the hands of the American government to spread the will of the West to
Free to Rock reflection paper, Beatrix Benke

the East, and the fact that the CIA financed Radio Free Europe is a perfect example of this.
Nevertheless, in my opinion, the East was lucky that the party could not prevent the function
of the radio; nowadays, governments can easily prevent the majority of the population from
using the internet. Needless to say, there will always be a small portion of rebels, just like in
the case of the musicians who created their guitars at home; they were aware of the risks, and
many artists were beaten or sentenced to prison without a trial.

In the case of cultural diplomacy, both sides tried to use it to their advantage. The West, of
course, had an easier way, but the fact that many American bands had the opportunity to go
and perform in the Soviet Union gives the impression that the Soviets also realized that
silencing the people would make the situation even worse; therefore, even in the harshest
period of the regime, some artists were allowed to perform, of course, strictly with KGB
presence. What gave me pride is how the director showed that in the '60s and70s, people were
not allowed to stand up during a concept, and KGB soldiers pushed them back to their seats.
But in the second half of the 1980s and 1990s, not just the people were allowed to stand up,
but even the soldiers jumped and threw their caps in the air during the concert. The gradual
softening of the regime was perfectly illustrated in this scene.

Another memorable scene was the interview of one of the American performers, who was
cautious about going to the SU, but during the concert, he felt such a warm welcome and
happiness at being here that he thought that it was impossible that these people wanted to
attack his country. This is an outstanding message of cultural diplomacy because it connects
people even without communicating with each other. Music has an extravagant characteristic;
it can connect people even in the most unexpected moments, like these. This is what
Gorbachev also realized, and though his reforms were not welcomed by the extreme believers,
the majority felt in the air that change would arrive, and they received it, more or less. The
monitoring of the people started to loosen, and this was achieved partially because of the
power of music.
To conclude, the movie was one of the best representations of the Cold War because it showed
everyday heroes who just wanted to enjoy their lives by playing music. Cultural diplomacy in
this sense made this achievable for them. The USA tried to push their visions through the
power of art, financed a channel for that, and, via music, tried to show the life outside of the
Iron Curtain, which eventually led to the reconsideration of the importance of the Soviet
Union and helped mobilize the people to rebel against it.