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17.03.2016

"A man in a world without freedom. Discussions about the condition of the individual in a totalitarian world."– Wrocław, 11–12 March 2016

On 11 and 12 March two events that the IPN organized under the slogan „A man in a world without freedom. Discussions about the condition of the individual in a totalitarian world" were held in Wrocław. This is the first of the activities of the Institute in the framework of our participation in the European Capital of Culture - Wrocław 2016. The programme of events planned by the Institute in connection with the ECC is implemented under the theme „A world without freedom.” 


On Friday (March 11) at our Educational Center a debate „An individual in a totalitarian system - the totalitarian system against an individual. Research perspectives" was held. Participants of this interdisciplinary discussion discussed various psychological and historical aspects of the impact of non-democratic systems on their societies. One of the most visible features of such communities were lower social trust and disintegration of relationships. According to the interviewees the cause of these phenomena are activities of state bodies aimed at the destruction of individual identity and the „management" of availability of basic goods. The use of social engineering, skillful control over fears, redefining the concepts and reality - these are elements of the functioning of undemocratic regimes that are bringing an individual to enslavement.


On Saturday (March 12) at the Cinema New Horizons the second of events - meeting with Prof. Philip Zimbardo – took place. The lecture by Prof. Zimbardo „Citizens challenging totalitarian evil and creating a new generation of Polish heroes" was preceded by a Polish premiere of the film The Stanford Prison Experiment (directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, USA 2015), which is a fictionalized story of the famous Prison Experiment of 1971.


To the question: What is the link between the IPN and Prof. Zimbardo? President of the Institute Dr. Łukasz Kamiński replied: „Man. The Institute of National Remembrance specializes in the history of totalitarian regimes, but it fact it is the story of people who had to deal with an extremely difficult experience, whether we are talking about World War II or the period of the Communist dictatorship in Poland. The questions that arise in the hearts of researchers are the questions of why people behave this way and not otherwise, why some „ordinary" people can become murderers overnight, while others become heroes who have the strength to resist evil. We have invited Professor Zimbardo, because due to the results of his research, he gives us the answers. Historians need other specialists to understand the human in the conditions of a totalitarian system. And we believe that our work over the past might in some way prevent the recurrence of such situations in the future. „


Prof. Zimbardo spoke about what is evil and what forms it takes. He stressed that the worst is the emanation of  evil generated by the system of power. He described among other things stages of the rise of the totalitarian system. He pointed at the same time, how some resist this domination and recounted some Polish heroes who are a proof that you can make such attempts. Professor mentioned, among others, Casimir Pulaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko, Józef Piłsudski, Jan Karski, Witold Pilecki, Irena Sendler and Lech Wałęsa.


Prof. Zimbardo, author of the famous prison experiment, postulated that each of us feels obliged to take the side of good - especially in everyday situations. This is an effective „vaccine” to totalitarianism and all the emanations of evil.


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