Twenty Years After
International conference on the 20th anniversary of East-Central-European changes
Ljubljana, 26-27 November 2009

Twenty years after

Much grounded criticism is brought against the European Union. Member states, which fear the loss of their sovereignty and nations which cling to their identity are trying to protect their own – specific – interests from an integration transformed into globalization. Nobody desires a “United States of Europe” on the American pattern. In their disadvantaged situation, many inhabitants of the former communist countries feel that only the name of the authority changed when arriving into the European Union from the Soviet Empire. “Out of the frying pan we fell into the fire” they say, and they sense their condition being just as hurtful as before. This generates nostalgia over “Goulash communism” in Hungary, over the – literally – dark Ceauşescu era in Romania, over the “Trabi-world” of former East Germany. 

Twenty years after the fall of communist dictatorship and the beginning of change of regime throughout East-Central-Europe, we commemorate this anniversary with mixed feelings. Similarly, the period between 1989 and 2009, and the evolved reality of our days are full with tormenting contradictions. Somehow, we resemble to the people of Israel who escaped from Egyptian captivity: in their achieved freedom, they felt nostalgia over the “meat pots” of Egypt amongst the narrow circumstances of wandering in the desert. They forgot about a hope in a better future on “Promise Land”. Material necessity would urge to go off the road of liberty, to exchange our liberating and merciful God to inert and lifeless fetishes, and to return into the hopeless world of slavery…

Two weeks ago in Berlin, we celebrated the fall of the “Iron Curtain” at an event organized by the European People’s Party. We looked back to the dictatorship of twenty years ago, and we assessed the situation twenty years after. Numerous conferences, exhibitions and commemorations are scheduled for this period in the European Parliament to reflect on the transition period from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the reunification of Europe. Last week, we also held an anniversary conference, entitled “From Timisoara to Brussels”, about the changes in Romania. From Berlin to Warsaw, from Budapest to Bucharest, from Vilnius to Prague – we commemorate together. Together, we walk over the road since 1989 again, in order to draw its lessons, and to continue the journey we started then – into the right direction. How otherwise could we hope for a better future?

In the old times, peoples and countries could only count on themselves. The stronger oppressed the weaker, the larger put down the smaller. The oppressed were defeated and left alone after their lost freedom fights. “Might is right”, the stronger is right – this rule prevailed our world. Consequently, totalitarian dictatorships and world wars encroached on our peoples even in the 20th century.

Whatever criticism today against the Union or “globalism” – there is no doubt that global cooperation will only escape humanity from the danger of a “global war”. The message we understood from the fall of the Berlin Wall – which embodied the confrontation of two “worlds”, two super powers, and the Cold War itself –, from the downfall of the communist dictatorial regime, and from the reunification process in Europe is that the mutual solidarity and joining of forces between interdependent nations and states should take charge over godless power vindication or “pagan” power politics. In the ecumenical sense, this would fulfill the teaching of Christ on how to be “united in diversity”, so that the value-based integration would benefit Europe and the entire Globe.

Global joining of forces should be the proper answer to the global jeopardy of humankind and the Earth. We experienced that integration could be the most efficient antidote to overcome Europe’s inherited division.

This becomes visibly valid in Slovenia – an early location of the last Balkan war, and a member state of the former South Slavic state-federation which is searching for ways out of tragic divisions.

In the eyes of an outsider, Slovenia’s most recent history is a story of success. For Slovenians, besides bringing new social structures, the fall of communism and the East-Central European changes made the proclamation of their independent state possible. The political change of regime fulfilled their national aspirations. The events after “escaping” from communist Yugoslavia were fast. And, less than two decades of state independence was enough to hold presidency last year amongst the free European nations – sharing this way in the success of the “United Europe” project.

We have to believe in the conceptual, spiritual most practical “peace program” of Europe’s reunification. And we have to make all possible effort that Europe’s cooperation and security policy continues on the path of freedom gained 20 years ago.  We should not allow that the retracting heritage of the past, and the various forms of new crisis withdraw our countries and our continent.

* * *

Ninety years ago, just as Slovenia, my native land, Transylvania and the Banat region also belonged to the Habsburg Empire. After World War I, the Habsburg Empire was falling apart due to the Paris peace treaties. We were attached to an adjoining country: the Romanian kingdom. Transylvania’s non-Romanian inhabitants, almost half of the population – including Hungarians and Germans –, found themselves under an oppressive empire again.

The era of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which meant Europe’s distribution between Hitler and Stalin, started seventy years ago. This later hailed the historic catastrophe of World War II.

It is more than sixty years since the peoples of East-Central-Europe escaped from the “Egyptian captivity” of Nazism. But they arrived to the “Babylon captivity” of another totalitarian world system: Communism. The Berlin Wall became the shocking symbol of the re-division of our continent by the great powers.

Twenty years ago this kind of power division – which spanned the entire 20th century – came to an end. The fall of both totalitarian regimes opened a brand new chapter in European history.

Europe’s genuine liberation was achieved in a long struggle, which was hallmarked by the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Polish Solidarity movement of 1980. The European Community which now celebrates its 60th anniversary and the “free world” of America both had the lion’s share to finally win the battle. 

However, those who believe that the liberation and reunification of Europe is a mere result of the historical-political automatism of the ‘domino principle’ – or that of the good ‘teamwork’ of global great power politics – are wrong.

Behind the changes of 20 years ago, the freedom-loving people of Europe, the sacrifice – life, struggle and death – of millions who could never accept their unjust and inhuman destiny were also there. In silent revolt or heroic opposition, with extraordinary efforts and freedom-fights, they all contributed to the fall of the oppressive regimes. In the end, by demolishing the Berlin Wall, they broke down the walls of fear, lies and hatred.

Twenty years ago, the fall of the Ceausescu-couple, the most brutal post-Stalinist dictatorship in East-Central-Europe, started with breaking through the “wall of silence”. The evil village-destruction plan of the Romanian ‘Conducator’, which announced the demolition of about 7,000 settlements, can only be compared to the anti-cultural and anti-civilization ambitions of the Talib regime in Afghanistan. That was the last impetus to the revolt against the terror of the Ceausescu regime, against the infamous Romanian secret police, the Securitate, and against Romanian national-communism.

It is a telling fact, that the spontaneous anti-communist uprising started from a minority Hungarian Reformed church in the Banat region, in Timişoara/Temesvár. It all started in a multi-ethnic and multi-faith region and city, which had multiple times experienced anti-minority political, nationalist and religious oppression. In our church in Timişoara/Temesvár, the liberating Word of God spoke against inhuman atheist dictatorship week-by-week. Amongst others, the Word of God told that, according to the teachings of Christ, the “stones would cry out” if people had still tolerated the rule of darkness and fear.

We succeeded to break through the “wall of silence”. The Romanian majority inhabitants of Timişoara/Temesvár took solidarity with the resisters. Romanian, Hungarian, German inhabitants of the city joined forces in ecumenical – Reformed, Catholic, Baptist and Orthodox – fellowship against their common enemy: Ceausescu’s communist dictatorship. Twenty years ago, the “Spirit of Timişoara” advanced the European Spirit, which is reflected in the current policy of the Union: unity in diversity, pluralism of common values, solidarity and cooperation of nations.

Twenty years later however, the “Ghost of Ceauşescu” is still haunting the Romanian society. As I mentioned, many people are nostalgic about the illusion of the “golden” past, because of their disappointment about a difficult post-Communist transition and a Europe in crisis on multiple levels.

The political class which saved its power – the former communist nomenclature – as well as the undisturbed former Securitate did everything possible during the past 20 years to slow down and ‘hijack’ the change of regime, to serve their interests. The democratization of society happened only in an outward fashion. The democratic institutional system was formed, moreover, our country was accepted into the European Union. Nevertheless, Romania did not yet come to terms with its past. The making of justice and the transformation of ownership system happened only in a distorted fashion or partially. Mental and moral renewal did not occur simultaneously with the external changes. The communist, state-nationalist past haunts also on the field of human, citizen and minority rights – not mentioning the belated and distorted economic and social changes. These troubles and symptoms of post-communist crisis are present in various forms and quantities within the societies of the entire former Soviet bloc.

The European Parliament in April this year took an important step towards supporting the continuation of regime change as well as the real integration and advancement of former communist countries by condemning the dictatorship of Communist totalitarianism, similarly to the dictatorship of National Socialism. The celebration at EU-level of the 20th anniversary of the changes which happened in 1989 also serves the renewal of East-Central-European countries, the continuation of the changes which begun twenty years ago, and the process of European unification.

The Nobel Prize for literature awarded to Herta Müller, a German writer stemming from the region of Timisoara, is also connected to this. The Nobel Prize committee, beyond the appreciation of literary skills, most likely intended to draw attention to the 20th anniversary of East-Central-European regime changes as well, and to the fact that in the Europe of nations and regions one must respect the rights of every ethnic community and minority, as well as the human dignity of their members.

The life of Herta Müller, a life spent mostly in Romania, could be characterized as a brave resistance against communist dictatorship and the infamous Romanian secret police. Twenty years after the fall of Ceausescu, in her article published in the July edition of Die Zeit, in which she writes about the still operating Securitate, she unmasks the Romanian post-communist system with the same consistency, as she did before. Concerning her one-time country, she concludes: ‘The same people with the same mentality occupy all the important positions. Practically nothing has changed.’

The most important role and purpose of the commemoration of this 20th anniversary, as well as of the present conference in Ljubljana, is to help in defeating the withdrawing heritage of communism, and to foster the democratic regime change which started in 1989.

Ljubljana, 26 November 2009

László  Tőkés