The end of the war in Czechoslovakia in 1945. A difficult new beginning

A lecture by Prof. Dr. Ota Konrád, Charles University in Prague, from the event series "1945: The end of the war - perspectives on the end of the war and its significance today". The end of the war in 1945 brought both liberation and chaos to Czechoslovakia and East Central Europe: violence, revenge and a new beginning. The lecture sheds light on the challenges of this transitional period and examines its significance for the state and society. The focus of the series of events is the end, or rather the ends, of the Second World War 80 years ago. The plural "KriegsEnden" in the title refers not only to divergent perceptions and interpretations, continuities and ruptures or the "simultaneity of the non-simultaneous" around 1945, but also to the need to focus more strongly on perspectives from Eastern Europe and on Eastern Europe. As part of the lecture series, experts from academia and museum practice will provide a wide range of thematic insights into their latest work. A wide geographical range will also be covered, taking in both metropolitan areas and the peripheries of Poland, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Romania.