The international historical conference “History and Memory. The Soviet Past – 1953-1990” was organized in Vilnius 2011, November 28-29 in the Seimas (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania. Politicians, historians, sociologists, educators and other professionals from seven EU counties discussed about the crimes committed by Soviet regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. It was good opportunity to learn from each other, share experience, disseminate knowledge and initiate follow – up activities. Speakers and participants learned about experience of different countries under Soviet rule, discussed how to increase public awareness about European totalitarian past, about causes and consequences of totalitarian regimes, how to educate our younger generation in order to prevent our political systems from influence of dangerous radical ideologies.
November 28 (Monday)
Session 1. European Memory and Conscience
Moderator Ronaldas Racinskas (video)
Prof. Vytautas Landsbergis, Member of European Parliament, Lithuania (video)
Sandra Kalniete, Member of European Parliament, Latvia (presentation, video)
Inese Vaidere, Member of European Parliament, Latvia (report, video)
Emanuelis Zingeris, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Seimas, Lithuania (video)
Arimantas Dumcius, Member of Parliament (video)
Session 2. Resistance and its suppression
Moderator Dr. Arvydas Anusauskas (video)
Dr. Algirdas Jakubčionis, Persecution of dissidents and youth resistance, Lithuania (video)
Kristina Burinskaitė, KGB – the Pillar of Soviet Occupation Regime in Lithuania, Lithuania (video)
Dr. Volodymyr Viatrovych, KGB against national-democratic movement in Ukraine 1988-1991, Ukraine (report, video)
Clara Mares, The ’’Usual Suspects’’. Methods employed by the Romanian Securitate in the surveillance of writers in the late 80’s, Rumania (presentation, video)
Discussion (video)
Session 3. Economical and demographical changes
Moderator Dr. Algirdas Jakubcionis (video)
Jiri Urban, Czechoslovak way of collectivization: total annihilation of private farms, Czech Republic (report, video)
Dr. Saulius Grybkauskas, Militarization of Economy: military industry in Soviet Lithuania, Lithuania (video)
Dr. Vilius Ivanauskas, Soviet “nomenklatura”: from privileges to illegality, Lithuania (video)
Dr. Valdemaras Klumbys, Russification of Lithuania: ideological grounds and practice, Lithuania (video)
Session 4. Violation of basic human rights
Moderator Dr. Nerijus Sepetys (video)
Kugler Pavel, Persecution of Catholic Church in the Czechoslovakia (1953-1968), Czech Republic (report, video)
Birutė Burauskaitė, Methods of Persecution of Church, Lithuania (video)
Dr. Indrek Paavle, Some aspects of violation of the basic human rights in the Soviet Union: restrictions of movement and residency, Estonia (report, video)
Dr. Arūnas Streikus, Control over cultural relations with overseas, Lithuania (video)
Discussion (video)
November 29 (Tuesday)
Session 1. The Face of Communism
Moderator Ingrida Vilkiene (video)
Renato Podbersič, Communism in SloKurti naująvenia – Historical Perspective, Slovenia (report, video)
Boštjan Kolarič, Crimes Committed by Yugoslav Communist Regime – Legal Perspective, Slovenia (report, video)
Adrian Cioflanca, The Illusion of Change: The Romanian Youth and the Communist Organizations after Stalin’s Death, Romania (report, video)
Inga Arlauskaitė, Soviet Army in Lithuania: consumption of resources, Lithuania (video)
Edvins Snore, presentation of documentary film “The Soviet Story” followed by the discussion with director, Latvia (video)
Session 2. Suppression of self-expression
Moderator Vidmantas Valiusaitis (video)
Dr. Aurimas Švedas, Methods of History Falsification in Soviet Lithuania, Lithuania (video)
Dr. Bogdan Iacob, Socialist Integration and Alternative Geographies of Science: Romania and Soviet Bloc (1960-1965), Romania (report, video)
Linas Tatarūnas, Anti-Zionism actions and Restriction of Jewish Emigration, Lithuania (video)
Discussion (video)
Session 3. Education and propaganda
Moderator Ronaldas Račinskas (video)
Najbert Jaroslav, “You look at it this way, boy.” How to teach descendants of the orderly citizens of real-socialist Czechoslovakia? Czech Republic (report, presentation, video)
Aija Abens, Teaching History in the Soviet Union – memories of the intrusion of Power, Latvia (report, presentation, video)
Ingrida Vilkienė, How to talk about soviet past to students. Methods and tools, Lithuania (report, presentation, video)
Discussion (video)