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Germany and Russia: Writing Common History

Russian Ambassador presented a textbook on contemporary history written together by Russian and German historians

March 19th, 2015
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A combined work has been published by the German-Russian Historical Commission, established by the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. On Tuesday night, in the main hall of the Berlin State Library, the third volume of the collection, dedicated to 20th Century History, was presented to the public. The name of the collection itself is symbolic: Germany-Russia:  achievements in the history of the relationship – in Memoriam: 20th century.

Russian ambassador to Germany, Vladimir Grinin, emphasized the importance of establishing connections between the two countries in the fields of culture, science and education. Co-chair of the Commission and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Alexander Chubaryan, stressed that it was the most successful international commission in the Russian practice, working without disruption for 18 years. According to him, the researchers had no taboo subjects, and they did not avoid controversial issues. The members of the Commission decided to present all perspectives in the articles of the German and Russian scientists in order to awaken understanding of the historical and current events. This, according to Alexander Chubaryan, is the value emphasised by a joint historical work, which will soon be available online.

Alexander Chubaryan explained that he intends to recommend the book to the Russian educational sphere as a guide for high school history teachers. The project attracted great interest of both Russian and global public opinion. Russian historians are also planning to establish similar work groups with colleagues in France, England, Austria, Poland and Ukraine.

In his address, Chairman of the State Duma, Sergei Naryshkin noted that this historical guide will serve a great role for a better understanding of the Russian-German historical context and analysis of the conflict between the two countries.

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