The year 1989 saw the democratic revolutions which permanently changed the political map of Europe. The Round Table and the following partially free elections in Poland, fall of the Berlin Wall, Velvet Revolution, overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu as well as other events of 1989 constituted decisive turning points in the process of finally overcoming the order established after the Second World War. These events influenced global politics and thus became some of the milestones of the 20th century history. The scope of changes which were initiated that year was vast and extended well beyond politics. The fall of the Iron Curtain entailed also deep and abrupt economic transformations, as well as major social and cultural shifts which influenced lives of millions of people.
Attitudes towards these political, social and economic changes, which range from glorifying to highly critical, still influence current politics in Central and Eastern Europe. However, so far there has been relatively few in-depth academic studies devoted to the memory practices regarding the 1989 transformations.
On the 30th anniversary of the events, the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity along with its partners seek to address this omission by organizing a series of international conferences dedicated to the memory and legacies of the year 1989. The discussed topics will include, but will not be limited to: successes and failures as well as losers and beneficiaries of the various transformation models; reconciliatory processes within and between societies; coping with legal, political, social, cultural and economic legacies of communism; roles of empires and international organizations in overcoming the burden of communism and ways in which these changes are present in the memory cultures of the regions.
The conferences will be held in Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Prague and Warsaw.