Political events in the 20th Century inevitably influenced music written by composers of the time. Of particular and dominating importance was The Cold War, lasting forty years before glasnost began in 1985, and causing many cultural changes throughout its duration. With the breakout of war between the Soviet Union and the United States of America, any interaction between the people of these two countries was cut off, despite the fact that there was no violence and …showed first 75 words of 1819 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1819 total…will have imposed on Soviet composers. This century showed a great deal of styles being introduced – more than have been used at any one point before in music history – and emphasised the restrictions that composers can face, despite artistic and musical freedom being considered relatively easy to come by. It is for these reasons that we can appreciate the influences and results of the music produced during the twentieth century with great admiration and understanding.