crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
Our current community of 27 EU Member States – a community which is already looking
forward to the membership of half a dozen more post-communist countries from Southern Europe – is
committed to taking responsibility for the future of the European community. In just the same way these
27 states have a common responsibility to address the heritage of Communist totalitarian regimes. This
is not merely a question of nostalgia. In the 20 th century, two totalitarian powers plunged Europe into a
devastating war, committed massive crimes against humanity, carried out genocide, brutally suppressed
European values and cultural tradition. In order to be sure that such ideologies never again ascend to
power in Europe, it is imperative for the EU as a whole to analyze and draw conclusions from both
totalitarian systems as well as from the experiences of tens of millions of Europeans from all walks of
life who had their lives and futures crushed and blighted by these inhuman regimes.
As we see from President Truman’s letters and countless other sources, Western nations have
long had enough information to conduct this kind of analysis leading to a clear moral and political
condemnation of totalitarian Communism. Unfortunately, a reluctance to carry this out – a reluctance
even to use the correct terminology, to avoid using terms derived from Soviet propaganda – has already
seriously impaired the development of genuinely democratic, rule of law societies in post-Communist
countries.
Through the Cold War years policy-making concentrated on pragmatic forms of coexistence with
the Communist system which was expected to last indefinitely. As a result, the West was unprepared for
the collapse of the Soviet Union and reluctant to declare victory in the Cold War.
Western inability to behave as winners in the defeat of totalitarian Communism in 1991 – as was
done after the defeat of the Nazi regime in World War Two – meant the waste of a great opportunity to
guarantee a better future for all of Europe, and Russia itself, and remains the source of many of today’s
problems. Instead of welcoming and supporting the new democratic forces, the West turned its attention
to economic issues and to preserving the stability of the old relationships. The old Communist elites
were accepted as born again democrats and normal partners. Even the KGB made a “soft landing” into
the new situation. Moral criteria were not applied and the responsibility of the Communist regime for
crimes against humanity, the suppression of freedom and human rights, was not evaluated. This gave
the Communist elites credibility, enabling them to continue political careers and to perpetuate their
habitual non-democratic methods and practices.
Continued failure to condemn Communist crimes with an internationally authoritative verdict
will perpetuate the gap between the West and millions of victims of Communist totalitarianism and
their descendants. These people will eventually lose hope that justice will ever prevail. The nations that
suffered under Communist regimes do not enjoy the same assurances of “never again” that the victims
of the Holocaust have. Frustration of the hopes finally to see justice proclaimed and accepted on the
international level will not disappear automatically – in real life these frustrations continue to find often
irrational political outlets, including support for neo-Communist or radical populist movements. All this
is a major handicap in the formation of robust civil societies in post-Communist countries. It is also one
of the main sources of wide-spread cynicism, moral permissiveness and corruption.
While a comprehensive analysis and assessment of Communist totalitarianism has been delayed,
it is certainly not too late to carry out this crucial mission. In this regard, it is useful to recall that the
Holocaust was not defined as such nor brought to the forefront of international attention until 15 years
after the end of World War Two in Europe, beginning with the 1960 Eichmann trial.
Practical steps to be taken
1. To generate political will to take a comprehensive approach to the problems of the totalitarian
Communism on the same level as the crimes of Nazism.
2. To initiate conferences, workshops and various meetings with the goal of advancing better mutual
understanding of 20 th century history as well as integration of different historic perceptions. Participants
in these events should include politicians, researchers and representatives of citizens from both parts
of Europe.
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