HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY

Can we or should we bear the responsibility for the history?

Why should we? And how?

Historical responsibility

• We are presentating the view of our generation

• At the beginning we tried to define the term

• Where can we hear about HR?• Incidents connected with history

of 20. century (especially World War II)

• In Czech Republic delicate theme of forcibly expulsion of Sudeten Germans from Czechoslovak Republic

What happened with Sudeten?• History of German people• First differentiation in 20th century• 2 WW – German colonization, Czech recapture.

For what we should bear responsibility?

I. We should bear responsibility for historical acts of our ancestors/nationals.

II. We should feel the guilt and assume responsibility for acts, that we have not done and that we had no chance to affect.

III. I am shamed of crimes of my ancestors/nationals more than of people not related with me.

?

For what we should bear responsibility? (II)

IV. Should we bear responsibility for crimes of our ancestors/nationals from which we benefit?

V. I think it is right to respond to crimes of past with good acts of present, especially if crimes were committed by people related to us.

?

Try to solve the problem

Historical problem which have not been solved What can we do now?

› Pay back what had been stolen› Officialy plead guilty and apologize for acts of nation, acts of

government› Speak about it with contemporary witnesses, show that we

know about their stories› Speak about it in Czech society

Will it work? Will it help somebody? Whom will it help to?

It won't work

• We think, that we (our generation) cannot bear responsibility for history. We can be sorry for it but it is not our fault.

For what can we bear the responsibility?

… for our present and future› Do not forget the history› Do not reapeat faults of past› Do not forget people (and their acts) who lived before me

(who made things I benefit from)› Benefit from their examples, take brave and hope from

their lives

› Be responsible in our lives (elections…)

Chapter 2 - Inspiration

Inspiration• What can we learn from the previous

generation?• Terezin, concentration camp

Life in Terezin• 40 boys in one room• Ilegal education• Magazine VEDEM• Sports, art• Republic Škid

Magazine

• Petr Ginz• 1942 – 1944• Every week• 800 pages

Content• „Facebook“• Toulky Terezínem (Walks around

Terezin)• Comics, pictures• Articles about their life in the ghetto

www.vedem-terezin.cz