2009 ORDINARY SESSION

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(Third part)

REPORT

Twenty-sixth Sitting

Friday 26 June 2009 at 10 a.m.

5. History teaching in conflict and post-conflict areas

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Mr HERKEL (Estonia). – I found the best starting point for my speech in the explanatory memorandum, which cites Mahatma Gandhi, who said “If we are to have real peace in the world we will have to begin with the children.” That is true, but unfortunately, generations are growing up in Europe without having an adequate and balanced picture of history. The report is more about methodological problems than particular conflicts, although some local conflicts are mentioned.

I should like to refer to the Second World War and the decades of Cold War that followed it. It was a time of so-called “history of the winners” – that was very much the Soviet version of history – in which some basic historical facts were denied, such as certain crimes of totalitarian communists. Such matters were fully denied in the communist camp but, unfortunately, they were also partly denied in the western part of Europe. This is an opportunity for us to remember that our Assembly was the first pan-European organisation that condemned the crimes of totalitarian communists some years ago. We also have some draft recommendations to address. Unfortunately, certain recommendations were not adopted and some positions about history teaching were taken.

I wish to make some specific points, the first of which is that a similar resolution was adopted in the European Parliament at the beginning of April, so different political organisations are dealing with the need to condemn the communist crimes on the same level as those of the Nazis.

On my second point, I have very different opinions from Mr Panteleev. In May, President Medvedev created a so-called “truth commission” against the so-called “falsifications of history” that act against the “interests” of the Russian Federation. To my mind, that marks a return to Soviet-style history. Different interpretations of history are possible, and it is important that one has empathy and also sees the world with other people’s eyes, but at the same time we cannot deny the facts.

My last point relates to something that Mr Panteleev said about the independence monument in Estonia. The symbol used there is the highest military award of the Republic of Estonia. This was created by a famous Estonian artist in 1918, so it has nothing to do with some kind of fascist symbolism. It is very important to stick to the facts.

Tervikdokument: http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/Records/2009/E/0906261000E.htm