Thanks to @blinmaster1945 for helping to transcribe the lyrics for this one and thanks to him and @MaoistJihadi on Twitter for helping with the translation. Thanks also to @1.2.341 for finding it.
"Die Kreativen von Wien" (The Innovators of Vienna) is an Austrian socialist song from the 2010 album "Anthems of New Labour" (Hymnen der neuen Arbeit). It bases itself on the famous Austrian socialist hymn "Arbeiter von Wien" (Workers of Vienna), which was inspired by the 1927 July Revolt in Austria.
During that time, Austrian socialists initiated a massive general strike and riot following the conservative government's acquittal of nationalist terrorists who had murdered three Austrian Social-Democrats. The Austrian socialists attempted to storm the University of Vienna and police headquarters but were pushed back. Former chancellor Johannes Schober then ordered the Austrian police to suppress the riot, resulting in 600 casualties.
Fritz Brügel, an Austrian Social-Democrat, decided to adapt the Soviet March "Красная Армия всех сильней" (The Red Army is the Strongest) [also known as "Белая Армия, Чëрный Барон" (White Army, Black Baron)], composed by Samuel Pokrass, and change its lyrics to speak of Viennese workers who had resisted the nationalist paramilitaries. Its lyrics talked about the end of the supremacy of the "masters of the world" (referring to the bourgeoisie) and referred to the "liberation of the spirit" (referring to alienation). The song gained popularity during the years when Vienna was known as "Red Vienna," a time when socialist parties held an uncontested majority in the Viennese governance. It was first performed at the 2nd International Workers' Youth Day in Vienna in 1929 but didn't gain its modern significance until 1934 during the Austrian Civil War (February Uprising).
This Uprising was provoked when Engelbert Dollfuß, a Christian Democrat politician, was appointed as Chancellor by Austrian president Wilhelm Miklas. They received support from the proto-fascist paramilitaries known as the Heimwehr. Together, Dollfuß and Miklas performed a coup by passing emergency acts to prevent the assembly of the Austrian parliament and forming the Fatherland Front in 1933. The Fatherland Front marked the beginning of the "Austrofascist" ideology, characterized by corporatism, ultra-nationalism, and clero-fascism. The Front immediately banned paramilitary organizations associated with the Social-Democratic Party and the Communist Party.
Although the Front had secured and consolidated its power over Austria, Vienna remained as "Red Vienna," and the workers refused to give in to the Fascists, even after the loss of their strongest organs - the paramilitaries and the Party. So, on the 1934-12-2, the former Heimwehr commander decided to crack down on the socialists. He attempted to raid a Social-Democrat-owned property but was actively resisted by the Social-Democrats, resulting in a skirmish. The Heimwehr, were supported by the police force, the gendarmerie, and the army, while the Social-Democrats were supported by the workers. This is where the song gained its popularity. Unfortunately, the uprisings were brutally suppressed when the Austrian Armed Forces, under orders from the state and Dollfuß himself, joined forces with the fascists. They shelled the socialist-occupied civilian residential area Karl-Marx-Hof, prompting the socialists to surrender. On the 1st of May that year, the Fatherland Front outlawed all oppositional parties, and fascism prevailed in Austria.
Still, the song exploded out of Austria, being sung by anti-fascists and socialists all over the world. Translated into dozens of languages and sung by millions, the song prevailed as a symbol of resistance against oppression. This 2010 adaptation, written by Karl Kilian, Manni Montana, and Bernhard Tobola of the Chorvereinigung Nordbahnbund (also the performers), has lyrics in a more modern context. It retains the original melody and spirit of the lyrics but is more suited to "new labour" and the movements of the contemporary era.
Man nennt uns Begierden, wir sind bedrängt,
Wir werkeln fortwährend für wenig Geld.
Doch wir woll'n mehr für unseren Fleiss,
Wir sind die Zukunft und kennen den Preis.
So wärm uns, flammender, freier Gedanke,
Gemeinsam kämpfend wir zieh'n,
Solidarisch erheben wir uns,
Wir sind die Kreativen von Wien.
Herren der Banken, ihr Herren von Geld,
Endlich wird Geiz und Gier gefällt.
Wie ihr Multitude, die Zukunft schafft,
Wir sind der Fortschritt und wir sind die Kraft.
So wärm uns, flammender, freier Gedanke,
Gemeinsam kämpfend wir zieh'n,
Solidarisch erheben wir uns,
Wir sind die Kreativen von Wien.
Wie auch die Lüge uns täglich umkreist,
Alles besiegend erhebt sich der Geist.
Wir brechen Feigheit, den Neid und die Angst,
Auf die Zukunft nun freut euch und tanzt.
So wärm uns, flammender, freier Gedanke,
Gemeinsam kämpfend wir zieh'n,
Solidarisch erheben wir uns,
Wir sind die Kreativen von Wien.
8 янв 2024
