Europe of the 20th Century and Guidelines for the 21st
November 6, 2004
Dr. Wladyslaw Bartoszewski

Professor Wladyslaw Bartoszewski is a renowned historian, diplomat and politician, and the author of over 40 books and 1,000 articles, mainly concerning Polands struggle for independence. He has served as Polish Ambassador to Austria and has served two terms as Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the German occupation Professor Bartoszewski was imprisoned in Auschwitz from September 1940 to April 1941. In the After War period Bartoszewski experienced evil again. Bartoszewskis principle of the protection of the dignity of the human being was again challenged during the Communist Regime. He has been imprisoned two times.

Professor Bartoszewski was the main speaker on the second day of our major international conference entitled Human Dignity and the Failure of Communism. He recounted some of his outstanding personal experiences in the struggle against totalitarianism. With vigor and eloquence, he urged the 200 person audience to continue the fight for freedom, justice and democracy in their respective political situations. The 21st century may already present threats to human dignity of similar virulence and extension as communism, but, said the speaker, there can be no cause for discouragement but only hope and courage.