Negotiating the Socialist Era Monuments: Politics of Memory in Czechia and Slovakia

• In Event: Monuments, Memory, and Meaning: Contested Heritage in Political Transitions

Abstract

Since 2014, the politics of memory surrounding socialist-era monuments in Czechia and Slovakia has been increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions, particularly Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the 2022 war in Ukraine. This paper examines how these events have influenced the attitudes toward socialist-era memorials and broader narratives about the communist past in both countries. In Czechia, the war in Ukraine has reinforced anti-Russian sentiment, leading to stronger efforts to distance the country from its socialist past and monuments. In Slovakia, however, pro-Russian disinformation and political polarization have contributed to claims that any symbolic expressions referring to the war in Ukraine displayed on memorials are acts of vandalism. By conducting an analysis of the politics of memory in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the paper argues that socialist-era monuments have become not only sites of historical remembrance but also instruments of contemporary political struggles and international crises.

Author

• Petra Hudek, Inst of History SAS (Slovakia)