On November 7, at 11:00, the Valdai Club conference hall will host an expert discussion titled “World War I: Is History Repeating Itself?”
The First World War, which was the most destructive and deadly conflict at the time, ended one hundred years ago. It became a true geopolitical catastrophe, which ruined several empires and led to mass forceful migration but did not solve the differences that caused it in the first place. Politicians and societies, shocked by the scale of the disaster, hoped to create a system of international relations, which would prevent its repetition. But the result was the opposite of what was intended – the inability to learn the right lessons plunged the world into an even larger-scale catastrophe twenty years later. It was only after the Second World War that an international order, which was able to ensure stability for decades to come, began to be build.
World leaders will convene for a commemoration ceremony in Paris on November 11, amid unprecedented growth of international political and economic competition. Parallels between the pre-WWI situation and today are constantly drawn.
What did the First World War mean for Russia and why should we remember about it now? Has the international community learned the lessons of a century ago? These and many other issues will be addressed by the discussion participants.
Speakers:
Alexei Miller, Professor of the European University in St. Petersburg
Pierre Malinowski, Head of the Russian-French Foundation of Historical Initiatives
Konstantin Pakhaliuk, Leading expert of the scientific department of Russian Military Historical Society, head of “Heroes of World War I” Internet project, member of Russian Association of WW1 Historians
Moderator:
Oleg Barabanov, Programme director of the Valdai Discussion Club.
Working languages: Russian, English
Information for the media! To attend, please fill out the accreditation form or call +7 926 930 77 63.
Information for participants! If you have any questions, please call +7 926 638 86 37