abstract
| - The %22Deutschlandlied%22 (English: %22Song of Germany%22, German pronunciation: [ˈdɔʏtʃlantˌliːt]; also known as %22Das Lied der Deutschen%22 or %22The Song of the Germans%22), or part of it, has been the national anthem of Germany since 1922, except in East Germany, whose anthem was %22Auferstanden aus Ruinen%22 (%22Risen from Ruins%22) from 1949 to 1990.Since World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany, only the third stanza has been used as the national anthem. The stanza's beginning, %22Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit%22 (%22Unity and Justice and Freedom%22) is considered the unofficial national motto of Germany, and is inscribed on modern German Army belt buckles and the rims of some German coins.The music was written by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn in 1797 as an anthem for the birthday of Austrian Emperor Francis II (1792–1806). In 1841, the German linguist and poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote the lyrics of %22Das Lied der Deutschen%22 to Haydn's melody, lyrics that were considered revolutionary at the time.The song is also well known by the beginning and refrain of the first stanza, %22Deutschland, Deutschland über alles%22 (%22Germany, Germany above all%22), but this has never been its title. The line %22Germany, Germany above all%22 meant that the most important goal of 19th-century German liberal revolutionaries should be a unified Germany which would overcome the perceived anti-liberal ethos of then-fragmented Germany (Kleinstaaterei). Along with the flag of Germany, it was one of the symbols of the March Revolution of 1848.In order to endorse its republican and liberal tradition, the song was chosen as the national anthem of Germany in 1922, during the Weimar Republic. West Germany adopted the %22Deutschlandlied%22 as its official national anthem in 1952 for similar reasons, with only the third stanza sung on official occasions. Upon German reunification in 1990, only the third stanza was confirmed as the national anthem.
|