On August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with a secret protocol appended, dividing Eastern Central Europe. This enabled Germany’s invasion of Poland, followed by Soviet occupations. Their alliance ended in 1941. Up to today the consequences of the pact prevent a common European collective memory: In the Western European recollection, the pact is simply a historical event on the way to World War Two. For the Eastern Central European countries, August 23 is a crucial historical occurrence, especially significant today amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Prof. Dr Anke Hilbrenner is Professor of Eastern European History at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. Her research interests include Russian and Soviet history in the 19th and 20th centuries as well as memory cultures.
Christoph Meißner, M.A., is research associate in Düsseldorf and has curated several exhibitions on European and East-West relations, including "Rift through Europe. The Consequences of the Hitler-Stalin-Pact" currently on display at Museum Berlin-Karlshorst.
Moderation: Josephine Eckert (Greifswald)
The lecture will take place as a hybrid event. If you want to follow the lecture online via Zoom, please contact us at baltic-peripetiesuni-greifswaldde.
Further Information
IRTG "Baltic Peripeties – Narratives of Reformations, Revolutions and Catastrophes"
Anklamer Straße 20, 17489 Greifswald
baltic-peripetiesuni-greifswaldde
https://peripeties.uni-greifswald.de