The outbreak of World War II in September 1939 represents a pivotal moment in history, not only from the German or Western European perspective, but perhaps more significantly from the vantage points of East-Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe. It is no mere coincidence that the region’s modern history is often framed as occurring before and after the war. This catastrophic and unparalleled conflict, which remains the deadliest and most destructive in human history, brought about profound and far-reaching upheavals, not only across Europe but globally. Its consequences were unparalleled, resulting in the division of Europe and, by extension, much of the world, into two opposing ideological blocs. This East-West dichotomy, which would become the foundation for the Cold War, also gave rise to divergent World War II narratives, varying across political blocs and nations.
In the Eastern Bloc, the Soviet Union played a central role in shaping the collective memory of the war, emphasizing the heroism of the Red Army while delegitimizing any alternative interpretations that challenged the dominant narrative of the “Great Patriotic War.” This narrative became a cornerstone of political discourse in the region, firmly ingrained in memory politics.
The years 1989 and 1991 also stand as crucial milestones, symbolizing the beginning of sweeping political transformations that would shape the years to come. These dates mark not only the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the end of Soviet-influenced communist regimes in East-Central Europe (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria), but also the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Following these seismic shifts, many post-socialist countries rejected the official communist-era narratives of remembrance, propagated by their former political elites. In their place, a new, nationalist historiography emerged, often at odds with the official interpretations of the socialist era.
This shift in historical memory and cultural appraisal of World War II has been reflected in the dismantling of old monuments, the erection of new ones, the reorganization of museums and memorials, and changes in educational curricula. Moreover, the ongoing political tensions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, culminating in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, have played out, in part, on the terrain of memory politics. Russia’s insistence on a singular, correct interpretation of the Second World War underscores the continuing relevance and significance of our two-volume book project.
A key aspect of this discussion is the cultural and historical reappraisal of the Holocaust, a subject that was long marginalized in the Soviet Union, its socialist satellites, and Yugoslavia, and was largely excluded from public discourse. In many parts of East-Central and Eastern Europe, the issue of complicity or direct participation in the Holocaust has remained taboo. However, following the political transformations of 1989 and the early 1990s, a number of Jewish non-governmental organizations (NGOs) played a crucial role in preserving and promoting Holocaust memory in the public sphere, often independently and without the support of state institutions.
In this context, precisely eighty years after the outbreak of World War II, the international conference World War II and the Holocaust in the Memory Politics and Public Historical Discourses of East-Central and Eastern Europe after 1989/1991, held in Kiel, Germany, on 27–28 September 2019, sought to examine the diverse memory discourses surrounding World War II in the region through a comparative lens. This conference provided an important platform to explore the evolution of memory politics in the post-socialist era. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the participants who contributed to the conference’s academic success through their lectures, moderating roles, and engagement in the vibrant discussions. Special thanks are also due to the International Center at Kiel University for generously providing the conference facilities (Internationales Begegnungszentrum) and offering essential organizational support for the event.
The positive feedback from both conference participants and attendees, as well as the stimulating reviews1 and expressions of interest from those unable to participate, have inspired us to publish the conference lectures—supplemented by additional essays—as a two-volume anthology intended for a broader audience. Adopting a comparative approach, the volumes explore memory-political reappraisals of World War II and the evolving public understanding of memory-cultural shifts in post-socialist Europe after 1989/1991. The twenty-three chapters, covering various post-Soviet states (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia) and East-Central and South-Eastern European countries (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia), offer fresh perspectives on how the remembrance of World War II is shaped within memory politics, historical studies, culture, and literature. The first volume focuses on state narratives of memory, public reception, and the role of museums, memorials, and monuments as carriers of cultural memory. This second volume shifts the focus to taboos, competing narratives, site-specific remembrance, and personal experiences related to World War II in post-socialist Europe.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the many individuals in the academic community who provided valuable suggestions, advice, and support during the completion of both volumes. In addition to the International Center at Kiel University, we extend our thanks to the Deutsche Stiftung Friedensforschung (DSF) in Osnabrück, Germany, and its director, Thomas Held, as well as to the Institut für Kultur- und Geschichte der Deutschen in Nordosteuropa (IKGN) e.V.—Nordostinstitut in Lüneburg, Germany, for their financial support of the conference and, ultimately, for making this book project possible. We are also deeply appreciative of Frank Jacob (Nord Universitet, Norway), the general editor of the War(His)stories series, for including this volume and for his continued support and constructive feedback. Furthermore, we would like to thank Brill/Ferdinand Schöningh Publishers, and especially Diethard Sawicki, for their role in facilitating the publication of this project. Lastly, we wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to all the readers whose interest in our work continues to inspire and motivate us to undertake new and exciting scholarly endeavors.
We dedicate this volume to our esteemed colleagues, Michael Shafir (1944–2022) and Francis Michael Ipgrave (1983–2023), who sadly passed away during the publication of this volume. Professor Shafir, a renowned scholar of Holocaust studies, significantly impacted the field with his work on the denial and distortion of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe, particularly his concept of competitive martyrologies. Francis Ipgrave’s meticulous proofreading was invaluable to this project. We deeply mourn their loss.
Paul Srodecki and Daria Kozlova, spring 2025
Anne Krohn, “Tagungsbericht: Zweiter Weltkrieg und Holocaust in den erinnerungspolitischen und öffentlichen Geschichtsdiskursen Ostmittel- und Osteuropas nach 1989/1991, 27.09.2019–28.09.2019 Kiel,” H-Soz-Kult, November 9, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2021. https://t1p.de/eq40n; Josephine Meyer, “Zweiter Weltkrieg und Holocaust in den erinnerungspolitischen und öffentlichen Geschichtsdiskursen Ostmittel- und Osteuropas nach 1989/1991,” Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift 79: 1 (2020), 151–155.