2019 marks several anniversaries of global events that shaped the modern history of different countries. Around thirty years ago, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a wave of revolutions occurred across Central and Eastern Europe. Due to severe economic crisis, mass workers’ strikes started in Poland and enabled the Polish labour union, Solidarity, to enter roundtable talks with the government. The end result was a reform of the Polish political system and an end to communist party rule in Poland. Meanwhile, the Iron Curtain dividing Eastern and Western Europe since the end of World War II started to collapse. The most symbolic notorious barrier of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, was eventually dismantled as a result of a series of revolutions in the nearby Eastern Bloc. The reunification process of East and West Germany began at that point. It was a long struggle to reunite two parts of the country, which had huge political and economic disparities.

Learning about the history of a nation helps us to better understand not only its current policies and social phenomena, but also the dynamics of international relations. In this series, scholars are invited to speak on important historical issues at the seminars, followed by discussion sessions led by student hosts.


Seminar 1: 30 Years on after the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Speaker: Dr. C. Roland Vogt (Assistant Professor, European Studies Programme, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, HKU)
Date: 13/3 (Wed)
Time: 18:45 – 20:45
Venue: KK101


Online registration starts at 10:00 on 18/1 (Fri):
For HKU students and staff – https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?ueid=62099
For alumni and public – https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=62100

 
Global News Chat
Student hosts will lead follow-up discussion after the seminars. Participants who are interested in the topics and would like to share personal views and experience are welcome to join.
Dates: 28/3 & 4/4 (Thu)
Time: 16:30 – 18:00
Venue: GE Gatherland2046 (2/F, Pao Siu Loong Building)
Registration:
For HKU students and staff – https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?ueid=63496 


More information of this series:

https://www.cedars.hku.hk/ge/programme/detail?id=588 

2019 marks several anniversaries of global events that shaped the modern history of different countries. Thirty years ago, a wave of peaceful revolutions swept across Central and Eastern Europe. Due to chronic economic and political crises, Poland's underground Solidarity movement was propelled to the centre stage and entered roundtable talks with the Communist government. A partially free election that took place on 4 June 1989 effectively put an end to communist rule in Poland. The Iron Curtain dividing Eastern and Western Europe since the end of World War II started to crumble and by the end of the year the most iconic physical barrier of the Cold War in Europe, the Berlin Wall, was eventually dismantled as peoples feared no more. Most of the post-communist states have joined the EU and NATO, but the young democracies have in recent years displayed a strong appetite for populism, illiberalism and Euroscepticism. The EU has found itself struggling to uphold its liberal norms and values in the face of the spread of "de-democratization" or "democratic de-consolidation" from Central Europe. What have we learned so far? Should we be disheartened? This seminar will shed light on post-communist developments and look critically at the perception of political setbacks in the region.



Seminar 2
From Communist Europe to Populist Europe? What have we learned and why we should not be disheartened
 
Speaker: Dr. Kenneth Chan 陳家洛博士 (Associate Professor, Department of Government & International Studies, HKBU)
 
Date: 20/3/2019 (Wed)
Time: 18:45 – 20:45
Venue: KK101, K. K. Leung Building, HKU
 
Language: English
 
Registration:
For HKU students and staff – https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?ueid=62099 
For alumni and public – https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?guest=Y&ueid=62100 



Global News Chat
Besides, student hosts will lead follow-up discussion after the seminars. Participants who are interested in the topics and would like to share personal views and experience are welcome to join:
Dates: 4/4 (Thu)
Time: 16:30 – 18:00
Venue: GE Gatherland2046 (2/F, Pao Siu Loong Building)
 
Registration:
For HKU students and staff – https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?ueid=63496
 
Further information of this series:
https://www.cedars.hku.hk/ge/programme/detail?id=588