Historical revisionism, far from being restricted to small groups of ‘negationists,’ has galvanized debates in the realm of recent history. The studies in this book range from general accounts of the background of recent historical revisionism to focused analyses of particular debates or social-cultural phenomena in individual Central European countries, from Germany to Ukraine and Estonia. Where is the borderline between legitimate re-examination of historical interpretations and attempts to rewrite history in a politically motivated way that downgrades or denies essential historical facts? How do the traditional ‘national historical narratives’ react to the ‘spill-over’ of international and political controversies into their ‘sphere of influence’? Technological progress, along with the overall social and cultural decentralization shatters the old hierarchies of academic historical knowledge under the banner of culture of memory, and breeds an unequalled democratization in historical representation. This book offers a unique approach based on the provocative and instigating intersection of scholarly research, its political appropriations, and social reflection from a representative sample of Central and East European countries.

Berlin Ghetto tells the story of a group of young people who had lives filled with intellectual exploration, intense friendships and romances - and dangerous, illegal political action against the Nazi regime. The roots of anti-fascism in the Communist, Socialist and Jewish youth movements of pre-Nazi working class Berlin are examined. The story of Herbert Baum and anti-fascism in the heart of Hitler's Reich is told through oral and written testimony of survivors, friends and relatives of group members, Nazi trial records and other primary documents of the period. In May of 1942, Baum and several others went into the massive anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda exhibition Das Sowjet-Paradies (Soviet Paradise) and set off several small explosive devices. A comrade of Baum's was interrogated by the Gestapo and under torture gave them a list of people associated with the Baum group. One by one, those on the list were arrested, put on trial and executed. Others were sent to concentration or death camps, whilst a few managed to survive underground. Berlin Ghetto is a testament to courage and youthful sacrifice, to Jewish (and non-Jewish) anti-fascist resistance in Nazi Germany.

The unification of Germany is the most important change in Central Europe in the last four decades. Understanding this rapid and unforeseen development has raised old fears as well as inspired new hopes. In order to make sense out of the bewildering process and to help both expert and lay readers understand the changes and consequences, an American historian and a German social scientist put together this collection of central texts on German unification, the first of its kind. An invaluable reference tool.