Americanism Takes a Left Turn, Article Review Example

This paper begins by discussing the aversion to Marxism and other socialist ideas that have been introduced into the Unites States.  Due to the fact that the strongest of these movements turned out to be controlled through Soviet interests, the nature of leftist politics was marked by extremity.  It was, however, able to find ground among both intellectual and working-class individuals who saw the inherent benefits of enacting such changes within the fabric of society.  The text explains that, eventually, the culture of these eastern ideologies came into society due to its ability to express the yearnings of the people.  This was further fueled by the problems that faced the American economy during the depression.

As the state of the American economy declined, many artists sought to give a voice to these masses of disenfranchised workers through the sentiments of leftist ideologies.  The formation of musical collections organized by composers to ensure their rights served to further influence this trend.  This allowed composers and artists from all over the world to join this effort, which fundamentally changed the landscape of American music from there on out.  In this way, the American musical culture was directly influenced by the leftist ideologies of the socialist and Marxist political culture of the early twentieth century.

This essay gives rise to questions regarding the fundamental connections between political and cultural issues.  How exactly is artistic culture influenced by the political events of the time?  How do these issues relate to the social, economic religious, and political positions of the country?