First World War Historiography of East-Central Europe after 2014. Trends and Perspectives

Prof. Maciej Gorny, doc. Rudolf Kučera, Ph.D. (Deutsches Historisches Institut Varšava, Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR, v.v.i.)

Abstrakt

Although collective memory and historiography are surely not the same, there is a connection between the two. The weakness of the WWI memory in East Central Europe has been partly the cause and partly the effect of the long standing negligence on the part of indigenous historians. In our presentation, we will try to address the following issues: firstly, why has the war been “forgotten” in this very part of the world?; secondly, were there any exceptions from this public amnesia?; and thirdly, what scientific, political, and social effects have been caused by recent phenomena – especially the modest publication boom connected with the centenary of the conflict? Finally, we will try to identify tendencies that may bring about new research trends of particular importance for the history of the region.