On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, this international conference organized by the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) and the Government of Portugal brings together outstanding experts to examine the processes of democratization that transformed Europe during the 20th century. Key milestones such as the end of dictatorships in southern Europe—Portugal, Spain and Greece—and the revolutions that dismantled communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe will be explored, redefining the political map of the continent.
One of the pillars of the conference will be the reflection on democratic memory and its role in consolidating transitions. The round tables will address how the preservation of the memory of the struggles for freedom has been fundamental to the construction of new democratic identities and the protection of human rights. Cases such as those of Poland, Hungary and the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia exemplify the power of civil society in processes of peaceful change, while the more complex transitions in Bulgaria, Romania and the dissolution of Yugoslavia will also feature prominently in the debate. In addition, the fall of the Berlin Wall and its profound implications for the reunification of Europe will be analysed,
The meeting will study, among other aspects, the mechanisms by which these regimes were dismantled and rights and freedoms were recovered, the decisive participation of civil society in this achievement, the creation of new identities and political scenarios, the purification of responsibilities against violations of human rights, and the formulas learned and applicable in the fight against the totalitarian excesses that run through Europe today.
