Why do countries use national anthems? Do all countries have a national anthem?
• Interestingly, there is no international law that requires a country to adopt an anthem (or a flag), yet currently every country has realized that this is something that is needed as part of a national identity. An anthem is used to musically express what a country (or other group of people) stand for and what unites them, like a flag or a national motto. In modern times, the only country to not have adopted a national anthem at a particular time was Afghanistan; during the reign of the Taliban (a strict Islamic group) from 1999-2002, music was forbidden in the country, therefore a national anthem would have been against this law. After the Taliban was defeated, the anthem used up to that point was reinstated. (Germany also did not have an anthem from 1945 to 1949, but, legally, there was no German government at the time.) ^To Top^ • How did the practice of national anthems get started? • The first countries to adopt national anthems were the European monarchies, in the late 18th cen
