Eurovision has always been a political arena, despite a current rule mandating an apolitical stance in songs and acts. Eurovision's claim of being apolitical is part of its mythology, which emerged in the aftermath of World War II, ostensibly to help unify a fractured Europe through music– but the rule, surprisingly, was not introduced until the year 2000.Â
Early Political Undertones
Eurovision’s very first contest featured a striking example of how politics can be featured on the Eurovision stage. Germany's 1956 entry by Walter Andreas Schwarz, a German Jew, criticized the country's handling of its Nazi past. Similarly, a few years later, in the waning years of Salazar's dictatorship in Portugal, Fernando Tordo's song "Tourada" was a metaphorical attack on the regime. In 1974, Italy censored its own Eurovision act, Gigliola Cinquetti's song "Si," fearing its pro-divorce message might influence a national referendum on whether divorce should be allowed. But the EBU stood behind the act– broadcasting it everywhere else.
Eurovision’s early political moments were not all triumphs. The EBU held Eurovision in Francisco Franco's Spain in 1969, highlighting the complexity of Eurovision's relationship with political regimes. This event served as a propaganda tool for Franco's dictatorship and raised questions about how best to navigate a coalition of countries– some of whom have governments opposed to the stated values of the contest.
Post-Iron Curtain Dynamics
With the fall of the Iron Curtain, Eurovision welcomed new countries, each undergoing their own identity and political transformations. This influx brought a renewed discussion on the role of politics in Eurovision, as the contest became a platform for expressing national narratives and political stances.
The Shift Towards Apolitical Eurovision
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, as public broadcasters felt pressure to compete with an increasingly commercialized market, there was a shift towards an apolitical Eurovision. This change coincided with a broader political context where liberal democracy was seen as unchallenged, reducing the perceived need for political discourse in cultural spaces.
The Return to Political Eurovision
Recent geopolitical events, such as the Russian-Georgian war and the rise of authoritarian leaders in Europe, have challenged the apolitical stance of Eurovision. Eurovision is now at a crossroads, needing to reassess its identity and relevance in a politically charged European landscape.
Eurovision, far from being an apolitical spectacle, mirrors the political currents of its time, serving as a reflection of Europe's ongoing struggle with identity, unity, and expression. As Eurovision continues to evolve, it remains a fascinating case study of how cultural events can inadvertently become political battlegrounds, echoing the complexities of the world they inhabit