Klara Pinerova1; 1 Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism, Germany
Discussion
In the spring months of 2023, a dispute broke out between the management of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes (ÚSTR) and its employees of the Department of Education. Employees complained about bossing and censorship. This internal conflict, which culminated in the departure of all employees of the Department of Education and the subsequent lawsuit, may seem marginal, but it is the result of long-term processes of struggle over the interpretation of history, with one group promoting a polarized interpretation of history based on intense anti-communism and the other group interpreting history from the perspective of everyday life and social practice. This contradiction has deep roots, and even the victims of the communist dictatorship have significantly affected it. Among the most important organizations of victims of communism that were established in Czechia after 1989 was the Confederation of Political Prisoners (KPV). It very soon became an influential organization, that thanks to cooperation with center-right conservative parties have been influencing the memory laws and the interpretation of recent history. It also strongly supported the establishment of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes in 2007. The aim of the paper is to provide answers to the following questions: How did the KPV contribute to the establishment of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and what was the role of the victims of the communist dictatorship in shaping the mission and goals of the ÚSTR? How does KPV influence the research focus of ÚSTR? Last but not least, the paper will also deal with the question of what the differences are in the perception of the communist past between members of the KPV and researchers of the ÚSTR.
