Today’s repressive regimes that disregard human rights are posing a growing threat to freedom of expression and access to reliable information. China is building a digital dictatorship designed to effectively suppress dissent, while Russia seeks to advance its imperial ambitions not only through bloody wars but also through elaborate disinformation campaigns and the manipulation of history. At the same time, the unregulated nature of the largest social media platforms has created a breeding ground for conspiracy theories and harmful misinformation. In the face of these challenges, it is worth looking back and learning some lessons from the fight against the restrictions on freedom of speech of a few decades ago.
The struggle for the human right to freely express oneself has been a constant throughout the history of the Cold War under the communist dictatorships of Central and Eastern Europe. Dissident intellectuals, deprived of publishing opportunities, invented samizdat (Russian: ‘self-publishing’) to successfully fight censorship. The practice of samizdat – the writing, reproduction and distribution of uncensored texts – required a willingness to take risks, a high degree of courage, civic courage and critical thinking. Their activities were closely watched by communist state security, and in the event of being caught, the producers, distributors and often even the readers of samizdat could expect to be harshly repressed, ranging from fines and dismissal from their jobs to imprisonment.
But the dissidents behind the Iron Curtain were not alone: they found allies in Western émigré intellectuals who helped make texts censored by Communist dictatorships available in the West in the form of tamizdat (Russian: ‘published there’) publications. Over time, a network of informal contacts developed, allowing the flow of uncensored literature through alternative channels and connecting a Europe divided by the Iron Curtain.
The risk-taking behaviour of dissidents in the former Soviet Bloc reminds us that freedom of expression and democracy in general are not a given, but something that requires the active participation of members of society and a willingness to defend it when it is being undermined. The message is particularly important as many young Europeans may not have first-hand experience of how dictatorships can suppress freedom of speech and violate human rights.
The struggle for the human right to freely express oneself has been a constant throughout the history of the Cold War under the communist dictatorships of Central and Eastern Europe. Dissident intellectuals, deprived of publishing opportunities, invented samizdat (Russian: ‘self-publishing’) to successfully fight censorship. The practice of samizdat – the writing, reproduction and distribution of uncensored texts – required a willingness to take risks, a high degree of courage, civic courage and critical thinking. Their activities were closely watched by communist state security, and in the event of being caught, the producers, distributors and often even the readers of samizdat could expect to be harshly repressed, ranging from fines and dismissal from their jobs to imprisonment.
But the dissidents behind the Iron Curtain were not alone: they found allies in Western émigré intellectuals who helped make texts censored by Communist dictatorships available in the West in the form of tamizdat (Russian: ‘published there’) publications. Over time, a network of informal contacts developed, allowing the flow of uncensored literature through alternative channels and connecting a Europe divided by the Iron Curtain.
The risk-taking behaviour of dissidents in the former Soviet Bloc reminds us that freedom of expression and democracy in general are not a given, but something that requires the active participation of members of society and a willingness to defend it when it is being undermined. The message is particularly important as many young Europeans may not have first-hand experience of how dictatorships can suppress freedom of speech and violate human rights.