The emergence of new states in Eastern Europe in 1918 - lessons for entire Europe

Abstract

Project within the program “Europe for Citizens” concerns European remembrance focused on the nation-building processes taking place immediately after 1918 in Eastern Europe. Our aim is to increase the knowledge in the region about common features of these processes presenting them as a system of communicating vessels but also showing differences between them and placing them in a wider European context. Even more important is to increase a knowledge about the course of events in 1918 in Eastern Europe and its impact on the entire European history among all Europeans especially in the Western Europe. Indeed, significant lessons may be learnt from the nation-building efforts undertaken in Eastern Europe (their failures and successes) after 1918 which are still relevant for the current European political self-awareness. In order to achieve all these goals we decided to establish a consortium gathering various actors from the Eastern Europe varying from local administration through think-tanks and academia up to journals which will publish a report and series of articles on the post-First World War nation-building processes in the Eastern Europe and their relevance for the current Europe. They will be based on regional approach to the region trying to extract the main common elements of this period. The main message of these publications will be transformed into public exhibition which will be presented in all participant countries and in Brussels in order to reach out a wider audience in Europe.