The Meaning of 1918

On 1918 the Great War came to an end, together with the Central Empires that started it. The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the radical political changes in Germany drastically altered the geographical and political map of Central and Eastern Europe that was already modified by the Russian Revolution one year before.

Furthermore, the war triggered processes that deeply affected the winning countries, whose societies went into a period of great changes, but also harsh crisis. At the same time, violence did not stop on 1918. Revolutions and local conflicts, the most notable the Russian civil war, continued for years and can be interpreted as a prosecution of the war itself, even if in a smaller and regional scale.

While 1918 was indisputably a turning point in European history, however, it also represented a transition for processes that started in 1914 and back and ended in the twenties, thirties, or even with World War II. This reflection on the meaning of 1918 for European History will try to put into perspective the different ways in which the final year of the war represented a turning point or a mere transition.
This reflection will take into account the more recent studies and research on the short- and medium-term processes triggered by World War I and its aftermath.  

[The abstract of a keynote speaker of the seminar Dr Alessandro Salvador : “1918: a turning point in European History?”]
 

Program

10:00 – 10:10	Welcoming words/ Greetings of Dr Jarosław Suchoples, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland
10:00 – 10:15	Welcoming words Prof Vesa Vares – Finland
10:15 – 11:00	Keynote speaker Dr Alessandro Salvador “1918: a turning point in European History?” – Italy
11:00 – 11:15	Coffee break
11:15 – 11:35	Prof Marek Kornat "Geopolitics, military struggle and diplomacy. The way of Poland to independence, 1914-1918" – Poland
11:35 -  11:55	Dr Susanne Brandt “War and Peace in Germany 1918-1920.“ – Germany
11:55 – 12:15	Ambassador of UK Mr. Tom Dodd “The short and long-term impact of 1918 on the UK” – UK
12:15 – 12:35	Giacomo Bollini “1918, from the Great Fear to the Mutilated Victory” – Italy
12.35 – 12.55	Prof Pavel Kalina “1918: the Origin of Czechoslovakia and The Man of the Crowd”  – Czech Republic
12:55 – 13:15	Discussion
13.15 – 14.15	Lunch
14:15 – 14:35	Jan Van der Fraenen “The King's speech: pivotal moment in Belgian history” – Belgium
14:35 – 14:55	Prof Gergely Romsics "1918 and the reorientation of Hungarian foreign policy thinking” – Hungary
14:55 – 15:15	Dr Aleka Strezova “The Remembrance of WWI in Bulgaria” – Bulgaria
15:15 – 15:35	Dr Danilo Šarenac, "Destruction. Liberation. Unification. Kingdom of Serbia in 1918." – Serbia
15:35 – 15:55	Coffee break
15:55 – 16:15	Prof Dr Alfonsas Eidintas “The Peculiarities of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania in 1917-1918” –  Lithuania
16:15 – 16:35	Dr Valters Ščerbisnkis “Before and after. Latvia during the declaration of the independence in 1918” – Latvia
16:35 – 16:55	Prof Ivo Banac “1918 and its meaning for the Croats” – Croatia
16:55 – 17:15	Louis Clerc Finnish diplomacy and France-Finland diplomatic relations – France/ Finland
17:15 – 17:35	Prof Silviu Miloiu “Romania of 1918: from military debacle to structural reform and unification” –  Romania
17:35 – 18:00	Discussion and conclusion

 
Moderator: Prof Vesa Vares
 

The exhibition of posters "1918"

The exhibition of posters, which reflects the historical and political situation of 100 years ago is prepared by  British Embassy , Embassy of Croatia, Embassy of Belgium, Embassy of the Czech Republic, Embassy of Estonia, French Cultural Institute, Goethe-Institut Finnland, Embassy of Greece, Hungarian Cultural and Scientific Centre, Italian Cultural Institute, Embassy of Lithuania, Embassy of the Republic of Poland and Embassy of Serbia will be displayed at the same Educarium Building of the University of Turku on the 2nd floor.

Each of the embassies/cultural centers involved in the project will exhibit one or two poster from 1918. The end of WWI brought new perspectives and opened new horizons for Europe. All posters will represent different points of view, different historical and political backgrounds . The diverse interpretations of the aftermath of the Great War in the European countries will be presented in different posters and create a unique exhibition.

 
Organised by:
British Embassy , Embassy of Belgium, Embassy of Bulgaria, Embassy of Croatia, Embassy of the Czech Republic, French institute, Embassy of Germany, Hungarian Cultural and Scientific Centre, Italian Cultural Institute, Embassy of Latvia, Embassy of Lithuania, Embassy of the Republic of Poland, Embassy of Romania, Embassy of Serbia.