The 1989 Revolutions and the Idea of Europe

Abstract

‘Central Europe’, as an entity historically and culturally different from ‘Eastern Europe’, was a rallying cry and focus of opposition for many intellectuals in East Central Europe during the 1980s. In the 1989 revolutions it seemed to have found its time, the moment when it could seek to realize itself in practice. What are the claims for Central Europe? What do they tell us about the aspirations of the post-communist states in the region? What idea of Europe do they presuppose and how valid is it? The future shape of Europe will depend – at least in part – on such conceptions of its past character and present alignments.