When the EBU introduced the song contest in 1956, the first event took place in Switzerland, which ultimately won the competition. Dean Vuletic, a historian of contemporary Europe focused on Eurovision, explained to the Bulletin that the EBU has traditionally sought to distinguish itself from the EU in order to attract more Euro-skeptic nations like Switzerland and the United Kingdom. While they are often considered as two sides of the same coin today, the EBU was created largely as a technical project to broadcast television programs across Europe, regardless of nation-states. Consequently, in 1951 the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, unveiled a plan to place French and German production of coal and steel under a “ High Authority” known as the European Coal and Steel Community, which would ultimately morph into the European Union. After the first and second world wars, global powers sought to ameliorate Europe’s history of extreme nationalism and conflict-in particular, between Germany and France. Eurovision traces its origins to the 1950s, emerging alongside, but apart from, other European unification efforts. Spanning post-World War 2 recovery, the Cold War, and post-Cold War realignment, the contest is consistently at the forefront of the political and cultural battles that have come to define the modern age. As the contest has expanded around the world, the performances, voting patterns, and sensibilities have become a showcase of geopolitical soft power dynamics. The performances range from straight-laced ballads to monster-clad heavy metal, and offer huge potential boosts to participants’ careers: ABBA and Celine Dion exploded in popularity and went into megastardom after winning the contest.ĭespite organizers’ efforts to restrict political expression, Eurovision has become an effective forum for voicing political dissent. This means that several countries outside of the boundaries of Europe have participated, including Australia, Israel, and Morocco. Eligibility is based on membership in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), “an alliance of public service media,” rather than geographic location or association with the European Union. For the uninitiated, the Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international music competition where participating countries send a musician or group to perform an original song on live television.
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