Jan Fischer, Prime minister of the Czech Republic
Jan Fischer, Prime minister of the Czech Republic

Author(s): Jan Fischer
Subject(s): Recent History (1900 till today), Criminology, History of Communism, Conference Report
Published by: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
Summary/Abstract: First of all, I would like to thank our esteemed guests for having accepted the invitation to this conference. It was indeed a representative selection of speakers from whom we can learn a great deal about the nature of the crimes of communism, about the causes which led to them and about the solutions which we need to adopt in order to prevent a repetition of history. I would also like to thank the organisers for the idea of convening this meeting, which was not only about describing the past, but also the present and the ways in which the post-communist countries are coping with the shadows of totalitarianism. And of course also about the future, about seeking ways how to prevent any future possible loss of our freedom. Because it is the future and freedom which should be on our minds above all. History never repeats itself literally. “Real socialism” in its concrete form belongs to the past. And the practices of the current communist regimes differ from one another widely, oftentimes like fire and water. It is not sufficient to state simply that the essence of communist crimes lies in the elimination of democracy. Their essence lies above all in the elimination of freedom.

• Details
• Contents