The song’s lyrics were written around 1929 by Horst Wessel, a young commander in the Sturmabteilung (SA), or "Brownshirts," in Berlin. Wessel was a law student who became a dedicated street fighter for the Nazi cause.
The melody was not original; it was likely adapted from older folk songs or veterans' marches. The lyrics, however, were explicitly political, focusing on the struggle of the SA:
The song's lyrics have been criticized for their nationalistic and chauvinistic undertones. The most contentious stanza, the first one, goes:
It was usually played immediately following the first stanza of the "Deutschlandlied."
"Deutschlandlied" was written in 1797 by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn as a birthday anthem for Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria. The lyrics, however, were penned by Lorenz Leopold Haschka, and they initially had no connection to a German national anthem.
The song’s lyrics were written around 1929 by Horst Wessel, a young commander in the Sturmabteilung (SA), or "Brownshirts," in Berlin. Wessel was a law student who became a dedicated street fighter for the Nazi cause.
The melody was not original; it was likely adapted from older folk songs or veterans' marches. The lyrics, however, were explicitly political, focusing on the struggle of the SA: hitler's anthem
The song's lyrics have been criticized for their nationalistic and chauvinistic undertones. The most contentious stanza, the first one, goes: The song’s lyrics were written around 1929 by
It was usually played immediately following the first stanza of the "Deutschlandlied." The lyrics, however, were explicitly political, focusing on
"Deutschlandlied" was written in 1797 by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn as a birthday anthem for Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria. The lyrics, however, were penned by Lorenz Leopold Haschka, and they initially had no connection to a German national anthem.
