Art, literature & culture

Publication of State Anthem of the Soviet Union

1 January 1944

The State Anthem of the Soviet Union replaced the Internationale as the country's official anthem at the start of 1944, during the Second World War. Its music was composed by Alexander Alexandrov, leader of the Red Army Choir, and its words were written by Sergey Mikhalkov and Gabriel El-Registan. The text praised the union of free republics, Lenin and Stalin, and the Communist Party. After Stalin's death in 1953 the lyrics fell out of use because of the references to him, and a new text by Mikhalkov was introduced in 1977. The melody was reinstated as the anthem of the Russian Federation in 2000, again with new words by Mikhalkov.

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