Magazine / Society / Controversy over Soviet Monuments / From the press | 30/05/2007

The Controversy over History

Relations between the East European members of the EU and Russia are burdened by their history, of which they take exceedingly different views. The dispute about the Soviet bronze statue in Estonia illustrates that Europe has become a more complicated place.

euro|topics-dossiers on the monument dispute

Main focus of Thursday, 10. May 2007

Russia's demonstration of national power

In Russia, May 9, the "Day of Victory" over National Socialism is traditionally marked with a massive military parade. Vladimir Putin has used the commemorative ... » more

Main focus of Wednesday, 2. May 2007

The dispute over Soviet monuments

In Estonia, the controversial bronze statue has been removed from central Tallinn to a military cemetery on the city outskirts. The removal of the monument, ... » more

Main focus of Wednesday, 11. April 2007

History is poisoning relations between Moscow and its neighbours

In certain new EU Member States, relations with Moscow are very difficult because of historical conflicts inherited from the 20th century. The implications of this ... » more

Voices

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Friday, 11. May 2007

Boris Groys on the ethnicization of communisim

Philosopher Boris Groys tells Sonja Zekri what the dispute about the Soviet memorials in Eastern European countries is all about: "The whole conflict is related ... » more

Dziennik - Poland | Wednesday, 9. May 2007

Pawel Machcewicz on disputes over Soviet war memorials

The Polish government has postponed a proposed law for the removal of Soviet war memorials in Poland, in order to avoid exacerbating current tensions with ... » more

Le Figaro - France | Friday, 27. April 2007

André Glucksmann criticizes the EU's attitude

The French philosopher André Glucksmann is aggravated by what he considers a lack of reaction from European capitals to the repression of demonstrations against Vladimir ... » more

Rzeczpospolita - Poland | Saturday, 18. November 2006

Vladimir Bukovski on Russia's attitude towards Poland

The Russian journalist and civil rights activist Vladimir Bukovski, who lives in Britain, approves of Poland's veto against an EU partnership agreement with Russia and ... » more

Chronology of the conflict about the bronze statue in Estonia

La Voix du Luxembourg - Luxembourg | Friday, 4. May 2007

Estonia is struggling to turn the page on its past

The recent removal of the 'Bronze Soldier' statue from the centre of Tallinn has provoked numerous demonstrations and caused fraught diplomatic tension between Estonia and ... » more

Delfi - Estonia | Thursday, 3. May 2007

Criticism of Russia from Estonia

The tone has sharpened in the conflict between Russia and Estonia about the location of a war monument. In addition to incidents on the border ... » more

Klaipeda - Lithuania | Thursday, 3. May 2007

The slow Estonians

Lithuanians like to tease the Estonians for their slow nature. Vigantas Danilavicius applies this to their conduct in the bronze statue dispute. "The Soviet monuments ... » more

Lietuvos Rytas - Lithuania | Monday, 30. April 2007

Exemplary Estonia

Rimvydas Valatka calls on Lithuanians to declare their solidarity with Estonia in the latter's dispute with Russia over the bronze statue. "The Estonians are the ... » more

Népszabadság - Hungary | Saturday, 28. April 2007

The Russian-Estonian conflict about the bronze statue

After heavy riots broke out in the dispute surrounding a Soviet monument in Tallinn, which was dismantled late last week, the Estonian government has announced ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Friday, 27. April 2007

Rioting over bronze statue

The controversial Soviet memorial which stands in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, the so-called bronze statue, was removed on the night of April 26th to a ... » more

SL Õhtuleht - Estonia | Tuesday, 3. April 2007

Off to Russia!

For months now, a Soviet monument in the centre of Tallinn has been causing trouble. The Estonian government wants to have the bronze statue removed, ... » more

Diena - Latvia | Thursday, 5. April 2007

Russia boycotts Estonian goods

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov has called for a boycott against Estonian goods. One reason for the Russians' harsher tone is the row over ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Thursday, 11. January 2007

New law on removal of the "bronze statue"

Estonia has passed a new law to guarantee peace and protection for war cemeteries. But the real issue, say both supporters and critics, is the ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Tuesday, 27. June 2006

The controversy surrounding a Soviet memorial in Tallinn

For months now, a dispute about the demolition of a bronze statue from the Soviet era has been raging in Tallinn. Krista Kodres takes up ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Friday, 26. May 2006

The dispute over a Soviet monument in Tallinn

In the centre of Tallinn stands a bronze statue of a Soviet soldier. Prime Minister Andrus Ansip says this monument to the occupation of the ... » more

Estonian-Russian relations

Heti Világgazdaság - Hungary | Thursday, 29. March 2007

Estonia's relations with its Russian minority

Following a decision reached by the Estonian parliament in mid-February, the statue of a Soviet soldier is to be removed from Tallinn's city centre. A ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Wednesday, 28. February 2007

Amnesty criticises Estonia

Amnesty International has written a letter to Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, complaining that the Estonian language tests the country's Russian minority has to undergo ... » more

Delfi - Estonia | Monday, 18. December 2006

Estonia bans symbols of occupation

Estonia has banned all symbols from the times of the country's occupation, including Soviet symbols like the hammer and sickle. The ban has triggered ... » more

Eesti Päevaleht - Estonia | Thursday, 14. December 2006

Burning Estonian flags

Estonia wants to ban all symbols from the times of the country's occupation, including Nazi emblems and Soviet symbols like the hammer and sickle. The ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Friday, 1. December 2006

Banning Nazi and Soviet symbols in Estonia

Estonia has passed a bill criminalising the use of symbols from the "occupying regime". Included are symbols of the National Socialist and Soviet regimes. The ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Monday, 13. November 2006

Estonian pragmatism with regard to Russia

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has announced that he will not demand an official apology for Russia's occupation of Estonia or raise other controversial issues ... » more

The dispute between Russia and Eastern Europe over history

Main focus of Friday, 27. April 2007

Putin threatens NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin's state-of-nation address, delivered on April 26th, has caused a stir in Europe. He threatened that Russia would unilaterally withdraw from the ... » more

Postimees - Estonia | Tuesday, 24. April 2007

Another Russian-Polish dispute about history

Russia and Poland have been caught up in a dispute about the assessment of the history of Auschwitz since the directorate of the museum on ... » more

Diena - Latvia | Monday, 23. April 2007

Dealing with the crimes of the Stalin era

The EU justice ministers have agreed on the basic framework for a pan-European law against racism which will make inciting racial hatred and denying genocide, ... » more

Népszabadság - Hungary | Wednesday, 18. April 2007

The dispute over commemorating 'Soviet' Holocaust victims

The museum at Auschwitz has postponed the inauguration of an exhibition on the role of the Red Army in liberating the concentration camp. The delay ... » more

Gazeta Wyborcza - Poland | Saturday, 27. January 2007

EU enlargement to the East as a process of reconciliation

In a joint initiative, the Polish daily "Gazeta Wyborcza" and the Dutch paper "De Volkskrant" have begun a debate about Europe. Readers can make their ... » more

Dziennik - Poland | Wednesday, 29. November 2006

Poland celebrates victories over Russia

A gleeful Poland has beaten Russia in the Volleyball World Championship game on November 28 in Japan, with a score of 3:2. Victories against the ... » more

Lietuvos Rytas - Lithuania | Thursday, 21. September 2006

The different interpretations of the invasion of Poland

Jacekas Komaras takes the 67th anniversary of the Red Army's invasion of Eastern Poland as an opportunity to remind people that the interpretation of the ... » more

Rzeczpospolita - Poland | Wednesday, 21. June 2006

The Russian view of the world

Pawel Reszka writes about a survey conducted in Russia by Levada Center, an independent sociological institute. According to the survey, seven percent of Russians regard ... » more

Further articles on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » History, » Russia, » Eastern Europe, » Baltic States
More from the press review on the subject » EU Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy, » History, » Russia, » Eastern Europe, » Baltic States