War and Remembrance

The outbreak of Word War II in 1939 was a pivotal moment, particularly for East-Central and Eastern Europe. Its aftermath entrenched Europe in opposing ideological blocs, shaping Cold War divisions and fostering divergent war narratives. The collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989 and the Soviet Union in 1991 unleashed nationalist reappraisals of history. The narratives of former communist regimes were replaced by perspectives emphasizing national suffering and resistance, often sidelining uncomfortable truths, such as complicity in the Holocaust. Today, memory politics remain contentious, particularly in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine, where competing WWII narratives reflect ongoing struggles over identity and historical interpretation. As a sequel to a previous publication, this second volume, comprising eleven chapters, builds upon and expands the first volume's exploration of WWII and Holocaust-related mnemonic culture and memory politics in post-socialist Europe.