The study-aim is to collect and analyze interpretations of history in relation to current crises. It focuses on young Europeans aged 18–29 living in Central and Eastern Europe and asks whether they share a common crisis memory that has similar functions (updating collective memory, forming knowledge about crisis, providing guidance for action). On the basis on a representative online-survey on historical and democratic dispositions which was conducted in the participating countries Austria, Czech-Republic, and Poland (n=4.000) in 2022, group interviews (n=9) were held in 2024 to answer the questions: Which interpretations and perceptions of history are represented in the collective memory of young Europeans and gain significance in times of crisis? What is the role of social media use? What is the link between specific interpretations of history and democratic dispositions?
As a theoretical approach we use the concept of crisis memory. It involves the processing of experiences from crisis situations, such as conflicts, and the updating of these collective memories to current crises. Hence, the public responds to current crises, such as the Russian full-scale invasion in the Ukraine, with ‘communicative condensations’ that take the form of politicizing history and historicizing the present. Today’s crisis memory is shaped by social media and can be politically instrumentalized.
The mixed-method approach [quant->QUAL] of this study guides the research process and offers a deeper understanding of a young European’s crisis memory. The results of the survey a) prove the presence of historical events within the generation analyzed, b) show that historical as well as democratic dispositions differ in the participating countries, and c) provide the missing links about media reception that were reconstructed with group interviews.
Linear Regressions highlight that communicative condensations/actualizations and memory agency/usage in a crisis can be best explained by historical dispositions. In Austria, the most important historical frame is WW2 and the Shoah, while in Poland and the Czech Republic the period of state socialism has the highest impact. The more positive the perception of socialism’s impact on justice and peace, the less strong is the perception of the crisis in Ukraine and its impact on one’s own country. Besides historical dispositions, another significant predictor in all three countries is trust in democratic institutions: The higher the trust in democratic institutions, the stronger the perception of the crisis and the endorsement of the danger and the defence against Russia.
The coding of the group interviews illustrates that the WW2 is most present in young people's collective memory, with different narratives depending on the country and different levels of urgency, ranging from treating it as very important to letting go of the past.
In Poland and Czech Republic, the communist period is another popular framework for historical comparisons with the current crisis, with 1989 as a reference point for change and national independence. Transnational actors such as the USA and the EU are blamed for the ongoing wars. This narrative is also strong in Austria, accompanied by the interpretation of a powerful West that is ruining other countries.
