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Jazz has never been simply music. From its very inception, jazz has been imbued with social meaning. This is what makes this kind of music an interesting field of study not only for the music historian, but also for the sociologist and the cultural historian. In the state socialist countries of East-Central Europe after World War II, jazz acquired a special meaning as a symbol of the American way of life, a symbol of freedom – at least for its admirers. The ruling elites and the establishment regarded jazz as music of the class enemy, a music of social degeneration. These contrasting views on jazz led to hot debates over jazz and the implementation of complicated policies towards jazz music and the jazz scene, which oscillated between affirmation and repression.

During the Cold War, jazz became a cultural weapon that was employed by both sides to advance their interests. This volume explores the history and roles of jazz in Poland, the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Soviet Union, and the Baltic States by means of several case studies. The American administration attempted to destabilize the political systems of the Eastern Bloc countries, while the powers responsible for culture in the Eastern Bloc countries tried to curtail the US propaganda campaign. This resulted in distinct jazz traditions and jazz scenes, each governed by a distinct behavioural codex, as well as official responses in each of the Eastern Bloc countries.

This book examines the role of composers' unions in shaping cultural life under state socialism in Central and Eastern Europe. Against the backdrop of shifting political regimes, it traces how these organisations navigated ideological demands, censorship, and artistic aspirations from the late Stalinist era to the Prague Spring. Based on extensive archival research, the chapters offer insights into institutional structures, leadership strategies, and the balance between state control and artistic initiative. The volume places national case studies in broader international contexts, showing how composers' unions functioned both as instruments of power and as spaces of negotiation. Exploring their engagement with styles from socialist realism to avant-garde and popular music, the book reveals how these organisations reflected broader cultural struggles of the Cold War era and illuminates the interplay of art, ideology, and politics in societies striving to define their cultural identity.