World War II in the historical memory of Russians and Poles: cross view of young researchers

Abstract

In 2015 the world remembered the end of the most dramatic war in the history of humanity — 70 years ago. Russia and Poland suffered especially during the years of World War II. Hence the idea of organizing a joint conference to confront the experiences of our two countries. The first part was held at the Institute of History of St. Petersburg State University in June, the second at the Institute of History of Wroclaw University in October: altogether some 40 reports by Russian and Polish young scholars. Their cross views allowed us to go to the very heart of the matter, without avoiding some controversial issues. Discussions were sometimes vivid but remained always friendly and both sides gained in understanding each other better. Refs 11.