In this year’s speech to Europe, »The European Moment« , the renowned historian and author Anne Applebaum explores whether Europe’s time has come and what characterises this historic moment. Until recently, systems of oppression, violence and authoritarian control were regarded as anomalies in the West; now, however, they are increasingly seen as viable models of society and government.
In the face of a crumbling world order, what options does Europe have? Which insights from the experiences of the 20th century will inform this decision? Will the »Old World« succeed in positioning itself as a credible alternative to the resurgence of backward-looking ideas? Applebaum is convinced: Europe’s answers to these questions will shape not only Europe’s course, but also the fate of the world

Since 2019, the Speech to Europe, initiated by the ERSTE Foundation, has provided a fundamental reflection on the present and future of Europe. The venue is Vienna’s Judenplatz, which serves as a reminder that Europe can only be understood in the mirror of its history.

This is the hour of Europe — but do the Europeans even know it?

Anne Applebaum

ANNE APPLEBAUM

Anne Applebaum is an award-winning historian, a staff writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Her published works include »Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine, »Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944–1956«, and »Gulag«, which won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction. Her most recent books include the New York Times bestsellers »Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism« and »Autocracy, Inc«. For fifteen years, she was a columnist at the Washington Post and a member of the editorial board. In addition, she was deputy editor of The Spectator and a columnist for several British newspapers.

A JOINT EVENT BY

Wiener Festwochen, the ERSTE Foundation and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), in cooperation with the Jewish Museum Vienna

The speech will be delivered in English.
The event is free of charge and will take place outdoors on Judenplatz.
A live stream will be available.

Cover image: Mateusz Skwarczek