MUSIC AS A SYMBOL OF POLITICAL DISSIDENCE: SHOSTAKOVICH'S FIFTH SYMPHONY AND THE SOVIET REGIME

Abstract

"Music as a Symbol of Political Dissidence: Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony and the Soviet Regime" investigates how a single work of art can function simultaneously as official propaganda and as a covert form of resistance. Grounded in International Relations theory, the thesis treats Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 (1937) as a case study in cultural politics under totalitarianism. After situating Stalin's USSR within the literature on authoritarian control and cultural diplomacy, the study traces the emergence of Socialist Realism as a state-imposed aesthetic that sought to mobilize music for ideological ends. Shostakovich's precarious position, publicly rebuked in Pravda yet privately admired, serves as an entry-point to analyse the strategic behaviour of artists who must choose between compliance, silence, and dissent. Using a qualitative case-study methodology, the research covers archival documents, contemporaneous press reports, memoirs, and modern scholarly interpretations. It dissects key passages of the symphony not only for their musical properties but also for their political meanings: the solemn third-movement Largo and the seemingly triumphant finale are read as a "double-voiced" narrative that could satisfy Party officials while signalling anguish to sympathetic audiences. The domestic section of this paper explains how Soviet cultural organs framed the work as proof of the composer's ideological "correction," reinforcing regime legitimacy, even as signs of resistance remained audible. By contrast, the international section shows Western critics interpreting the same music as evidence of apparent hidden dissent, thereby turning the symphony into a cultural weapon in the emerging Cold War. Comparative references to Nazi Germany's musical policy and present-day authoritarian states highlight the trans-historical relevance of the argument. The thesis concludes that Shostakovich's Fifth exemplifies the ambivalent nature of smart power. While regimes can instrumentalise art, artists may also exploit the ambiguity of aesthetic forms to subvert official narratives. The findings of the work illuminate the broader tension between artistic autonomy and political coercion and offer insights into contemporary debates on cultural resistance under non-liberal governments.