From National Victims to Transnational Bystanders? The Changing Commemoration of World War II in Central and Eastern Europe

The article discusses various changes in the ways that the history of the World War II era has been discussed and remembered in eastern and central Europe. It focuses on the conflict between the Nazis and Soviets, the extensive war crimes committed by both of those groups, and the mixed emotions which people from that region feel about their heritage. Examples are largely drawn from the Baltic region and Poland, and changes in the regional historiography, particularly regarding the Holocaust, are analyzed.