The turbulent 20th century was significantly determined by the most destructive war conflicts in history, which negatively affected the people in Europe. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe were also affected by two totalitarian regimes. They usurped political power, introduced censorship, tried to abolish traditional values, robbed people of their property and even tried to take away their religion and faith... Class and racial hatred, persecution of believers, political trials accompanied by physical and psychological torture often resulted in judicial murders. Too many years were marked by the suffering of individuals in prisons; the suffering of families who lost relatives, a roof over their heads, or their dignity; as well as the suffering of entire groups of population who lost their health or even their lives in labour and concentration camps. And this is only because they were labelled by the ruling authorities for various reasons as enemies or pests deserving punishment, imprisonment or the gallows.
The revolutionary events of the late 1980s and especially the “year of miracles” 1989 lead our societies on the path of freedom, democracy and political plurality. This path, after many decades, gave us the opportunity to use civil rights and religious freedoms in practice; which brought the possibility of choosing our own life path, attitudes and opinions... It freed us from the fear that the political positions of parents would be transferred to their children, who could be prevented from fulfilling their role in society. However, alongside the freedoms and rights we have today, it also forces us to reflect on values such as: justice, respect, or responsibility – responsibility for ourselves, our loved ones and the entire society. After all, public affairs are no longer the exclusive domain of one political party, they are in the hands of citizens – all of us.
Today we already know to a large extent the numbers of victims of war conflicts as well as the numbers of victims of the barbaric, totalitarian regimes that ruled us in the 20th century, we know their names and their tragic fates. What cannot be counted, however, is the damage done to the morale of society as a whole. We are still trying to come to terms with these today, and we do not always succeed as we would like. For many people (and not unjustly) there is a feeling that even 35 years after the fall of the communist regime, the morality characteristic of the period of its rule continues to prevail – a morality built on pretence and hatred. We therefore feel all the more compelled to highlight those who, during the totalitarian era, were able to defy and openly oppose such a morality. From the suffering of the persecuted came many examples of human courage, sacrifice and bravery that can be an inspiration to us.
This exactly is one of the many tasks that remembrance institutions established in countries affected by totalitarian regimes, as well as international organizations and associations, are dedicated to. Among them, ENRS, which this year marks the 20th anniversary of its founding, is exceptionally important. The ENRS creates a bridge between nations that in the past also treated each other with distrust and often hostility. Dialogue within the network thus helps to heal the deep wounds that our nations suffered in the 20th century. On the grounds of the ENRS, within the framework of discussion and consensus, unique projects have been implemented and are being created, helping especially young generations to truly and comprehensively convey the causes and mechanisms that led to conflicts and loss of freedom in the past, as well as the consequences that totalitarian regimes brought with them. Among the many activities, I would like to specifically mention the Freedom Festival organized by the Slovak Nation's Memory Institute in cooperation with ENRS, which annually – through movies and documentary films, theatre performances, discussions, exhibitions and concerts – reminds us in several places in Slovakia how precious freedom is and how difficult it was to be born. With its multi-genre character and public interest, the Freedom Festival represents one of the top events of European importance in its category.
After a period of relative stability and peace in Europe, we are currently experiencing a turbulent time associated with uncertainty. Dynamic changes ask new social and even civilizational value questions to us, which we can only successfully answer through mutual cooperation. I therefore believe that ENRS will continue to represent a place of meetings, mutual respect and the desire to seek the truth, with the help of which we will succeed in filling in the empty spaces of our history with our joint efforts.
I would like to thank the entire network, as well as all participants in its activities, for the work done in the first 20 years of its existence and wish it many courageous and correct decisions in the future in implementing new projects and overcoming the challenges that await it. It was an honour for me to be a part.
Dr Ján Pálffy, Member of the Board of Directors of the Nation's Memory Institute. In 2019–2022 he was a member of the ENRS Steering Committee representing the Slovak Republic.