08.05.2015
Seventy years after the end of World War II the fight for hegemony in Europe continues – disguised as a conflict of historical master narratives. The beginning of the current round of memory wars in the post-Soviet space can be dated back to 2005, when the 60th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany turned into a loyalty test for the politicians of neighbouring countries. With Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and the ongoing struggle over Ukraine, the celebration of the 70th anniversary has become even more divisive. We publish three articles that help understand the peculiarities of the Kremlin’s geopolitics of memory.
- Tatiana Zhurzhenko, Russia’s Never-ending War against “Fascism”
- Timothy Snyder, When Stalin was Hitler’s Ally
- Dietmar Müller and Stefan Troebst, Der Hitler-Stalin-Pakt 1939 in der europäischen Geschichte und Erinnerung