The Year 1945: Experiences and Legacies in the Baltic Sea Region
International Conference
8–10 October 2025
Venue: Klaipėda University, 84 Herkaus Manto St., Klaipėda, Lithuania
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Wednesday,
8 October 2025
14:00 Arrival and registration, coffee
14:30 Introduction and welcome address
Vasilijus Safronovas (Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda University, Lithuania) & Jörg Echternkamp (Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences, Potsdam, Germany): Introductory Remarks
15:00 – 17:30
First Panel
The Baltics in ‘Big Politics’ and Geostrategic Thought
Chair: Vasilijus Safronovas (Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda University, Lithuania)
Kevin Rowlands & Andrew Young (Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, London, United Kingdom): A Region Defined by the Sea Must Consider the Sea
Jacek Tebinka (University of Gdańsk, Poland): The Baltic Sea in the Strategic Plans of Winston S. Churchill 1945
Ramojus Kraujelis (Vilnius University, Lithuania): Yalta Revisited: The Baltic Echoes of 1945 or Once again about ‘Big Three’ and Baltic Question in Yalta 1945
Magnus Ilmjärv (Tallinn University, Estonia): The Baltic Question 1944–45
Reception
Thursday,
9 October 2025
09:00 – 11:00
Second Panel
1945: Expectations and Political Visions for the Postwar World
Chair: Justas Stončius (Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda University, Lithuania)
Paweł Jaworski (University of Wrocław, Poland): The Polish Government in Exile and the Discussion on the Future of the Baltic Sea at the end of the Second World War
Toomas Hiio (Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum, Viimsi/Tallinn, Estonia): The Year 1945 in Estonia: New Hopes, Loss of Hopes
Vykintas Vaitkevičius (Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda University, Lithuania): Strategy of the Anti-Soviet Resistance in Lithuania in 1944–1953
11:30 – 13:30, 14:30 – 16:00
Third Panel
Soviet Perspectives
Chair: Jörg Echternkamp (Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences, Potsdam, Germany)
Part I
Kristo Nurmis (Tallinn University, Estonia): “We Must Scrub, Scrub, Scrub.” Soviet Perspectives on Post-WWII Estonia
Per Brodersen (Berlin, Germany): Silent Border. 1945 and Its Aftermath for Kaliningrad Region
Kristiane Janeke (Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences, Potsdam, Germany): War Experience, National Narratives, and Soviet History Policy: The Military Museums of Kaunas, Moscow, and Minsk 1944 until the end of 1950s
Part II
Yaacov Falkov (Tel Aviv University, Israel): The War Is Over, Long Live the War! Moscow’s Special Services and the Re-Sovietization of Latvia, 1944–1945
Mari-Leen Tammela (Estonian War Museum – General Laidoner Museum, Viimsi/Tallinn, Estonia): “You’re Bearing Lenin’s Banner High…” Estonian “Old” Communists as Beneficiaries of the New World Order – For How Long?
Evening activity
Friday,
10 October 2025
09:00 – 11:00
Fourth Panel
Personal Experiences and Memories
Chair: Kristiane Janeke (Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences, Potsdam, Germany)
Zigmas Vitkus (Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda University, Lithuania): Post Holocaust Transition. The Experiences of Lithuanian Jews and Their Rescuers, 1944–1945
Ruth Leiserowitz (Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, Klaipėda University, Lithuania): Uneasy Memories of 1945. Civilians and German Soldiers in the Summer of the End of the War
Anke Pinkert (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States): Archiving Memory in the Baltic Sea: The Sinking of the ‘Wilhelm Gustloff’ and the Politics of Remembering 1945
Closing reflections and departure
The conference is jointly organised by the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology of Klaipėda University (Lithuania) and the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences (Potsdam, Germany).
Call for Papers
International Conference
The Year 1945: Experiences and Legacies in the Baltic Sea Region
On 7 September 1945, the four Allied powers came together for a now nearly forgotten war parade in Berlin. Despite growing disagreements between the British, French, and Americans on one side and the Soviets on the other regarding many post-war issues, the Allies remained united in celebrating their victory in the Second World War and demonstrating their collective resolve.
However, what appeared self-evident for the victorious powers was far from obvious in many parts of Europe that had either been part of Germany or temporarily occupied by it and had fallen into the Soviet ‘sphere of influence’ in 1944–1945. The transfer of approximately 1.7 million square kilometres to Soviet control ushered in far-reaching changes, profoundly altering their political and social trajectories. Tens of millions of people were displaced, entire generations of intellectuals were decimated, and civilian populations endured relentless violence. Political transformations unfolded unevenly: in some areas, they masqueraded as ‘people’s democracies’, while in others they took the form of outright Stalinist annexations. The legacy of these changes remains visible on the political map even today, with entities like the Kaliningrad region serving as enduring reminders of the logic of post-war spoils. Meanwhile, in the Baltic states—which remained conspicuously absent from the post-war European political map—a protracted guerrilla war continued, claiming countless lives among both combatants and civilians. The scars left by this period deeply shaped the societies of the region. While the Allies celebrated their victory in Berlin and fostered the impression of imminent peace, the realities in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea region told a different story.
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the ‘end’ of the Second World War in Europe, this international conference seeks to revisit the significance of 1945 for the Baltic Sea region, with a particular focus on territories that transitioned from Nazi occupation to Soviet dominance in 1944–1945.
We invite historians, memory studies experts, political scientists, and security scholars to contribute to this discussion by addressing the following key questions:
- Was 1945 truly the end of the war, or merely an imperceptible pause in a prolonged conflict? How did differing regional experiences shape later interpretations of the year’s significance?
- The memory of 1945: What did eyewitnesses remember, and what did the architects of the new regimes wish to forget? How are these memories reflected in personal testimonies and institutional narratives?
- The ticking time bombs: How did the fundamental changes of 1945 shape the subsequent security architecture of the Baltic Sea region? What lasting effects have they had on regional stability and geopolitics?
We welcome proposals for presentations that explore these and related topics. Submissions should include a tentative title, an abstract of up to 200 words, and a brief profile of the author(s).
Submission deadline: 1 March 2025.
Submission email: 1945conference@ku.lt
Language of the conference: English.
Conference venue: Klaipėda, Republic of Lithuania.
Conference time: 8–10 October 2025.
Selected speakers will be reimbursed for travel expenses and provided with accommodation during the conference. Notification of acceptance and logistical details will follow in due course.
We look forward to your contributions to this critical discussion on the legacy of 1945 and its enduring impact on the Baltic Sea region.
The event is jointly organised by the Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology of Klaipėda University (Lithuania) and the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences (Potsdam, Germany).
Contact information:
Prof. Dr. Jörg Echternkamp, Potsdam, Germany, e-mail.
Prof. Dr. Vasilijus Safronovas, Klaipėda, Lithuania, e-mail.
