Politics and Music

Politics can be the inspiration for a lot of great music.  The Popular music realm—-a.k.a the Sixties—are well known to most forumites.  In Classical the High Romantic era and the rise of Nationalism gave rise to works such as Smetena Ma Vlast, Dvorak Slavonic Dances, many works by Tchaikovsky and the Russian Mighty Handful.  French, Mexicanand American Composers have had their Patrriotic outings.  All of this in addition to examples given by the OP and other posters here.

  Tchaikovsky was held to be in bad odor in Wales at the outbreak of the Russian incursion into Ukraine.  An orchestra in Wales canceled an evening of Slavonic Marche, Little Russian Symphony, and the 1812 Overture. (“Little Russia” is term that many Russians used to refer to Ukraine, and the Symphony is basically a riff on Ukrainian Folk Songs).  Piotr died around 1895, so I am not sure how he was supposed to anticipate Political Sensibilities 130 years in the Future, but there you have it

Mozart was claimed as a “National Treasure” during the Third Reich.  Never mind the fact that he wasn’t German, or even Austrian (Salzburg was an independent Duchy when he was born).  So from 1933-45 no one was supposed to listen to Mozart?  I would have loved to see the Opera that he and Da Ponte would have written to lampoon Hitler