The Senate will commemorate the Crimes of Communism under the auspices of Tomáš Czernin
The conference "Crimes of Communism" will take place on 26 February 2024 in the Main Hall of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, under the auspices of Senate Vice-Chair Tomáš Czernin, and is jointly organized by the Young Democrats and the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century.
"Those who do not remember history are forced to repeat it. I lived half my life in communist grey. I wouldn't wish anything like that on today's young people. We must not lie to our pockets, there are other threats to our society today, not necessarily unlike communist ideology. It is therefore essential that young people know well what totalitarianism has brought to our country. Especially since the teaching of modern history does not have nearly as much space in all schools as it deserves," says Tomáš Czernin, Vice-Chairman of the Senate.
"This year marks the 55th anniversary of the self-immolations of Jan Palach, Jan Zajíc and other living torchbearers. In 1969, they protested in this radical way against the political situation in Czechoslovakia, where the Communist Party leadership was gradually restoring authoritarian rule under Soviet pressure. At the traditional meeting in the Senate of the Czech Republic, colleagues will also recall other important topics that will enable students to better understand the nature of the functioning of the communist regime and will recall historical figures who stood up against the arbitrariness and injustice," Petr Blažek, director of the Museum of Memory of the XXth Century, described the conference programme.
This year, the lecturers will focus on the fates of Jan Palach, Jan Zajic and their followers, recalling the horrors of February 1948 and the unflattering legacy of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. These lectures are sponsored by leading historians who are dedicated to modern history. Their contributions will be presented by Petr Blažek, PhD, historian and director of the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century, Mgr. David Svoboda, Ph.D., historian also from the Museum of Memory of the XXth Century, PhDr. Jan Kalous, Ph.D., historian from the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and doc. Jaroslav Šebek, Ph.D. from the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The conference will also include a screening of the film The Soviet Story by Edvinas Snore from Latvia. The conference "Crimes of Communism" is one of the regular events in the Senate and is attended by more than 150 young people every year.
The seminar is open to students and the general public. Registration is available here