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The
Curtain Rises: Oral histories of the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
By Caitlin Collins '05
On March 16, Susan Shapiro delivered a lecture
titled, “The Curtain Rises: oral histories of the fall of Communism in
Eastern Europe.” The lecture was the first of the history department’s
spring lecture series. Shapiro, an independent scholar, addressed the lives
of those living in Eastern and Central Europe under the communist regime,
and after its demise.
Shapiro accumulated oral histories over a 20-year
period in five different countries. The lecture given at the University told
the stories that were the basis for her book, The Curtain Rises: Oral
histories of the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. Ron Shapiro,
Shapiro’s husband, introduced his wife and the topic, recounting the
powerful and symbolic story of the day the Berlin wall fell, signaling what
he called a “simple breath of change caused by the demolition.”
The book that her husband edited was Shapiro’s
effort to tell the stories of the people that lived beneath the rhetoric and
power play that existed in communist Europe. “The Curtain Rises…” tells a
living history of double lives led by people during communism and since its
demise. Shapiro shared her belief in the power of oral histories saying,
“oral histories give a lot of information about politics through the eyes,
hearts, and souls of people.”
Shapiro’s presentation took her audience through a
day in the life of a child living in a communist country in 1980. She
provided detailed accounts of the everyday lives of people living under the
veil. After spending years living and working in communist countries,
Shapiro was able to build relationships with people. Sharing those
relationships were what prompted her book. She noted that the people she
spoke and wrote about were her friends. As friends, they trusted her to
accurately tell their stories. Both the lecture, and the book it was based
upon, gave important details about what it was like to live under a regime
that had pervasive control over your life. She then went on to discuss the
changes in lifestyle after the fall of communism.
Many
life lessons were gleaned from Shapiro’s work in Central and Eastern Europe.
She shared five of these lessons during her lecture. Noting that fear was
prevalent in communist Europe, Shapiro said the first lesson was to master
your fears. Secondly, she learned the importance of turning to disadvantages
to advantages. The people who shared their histories also taught Shapiro to
appreciate other’s differences and to take risks. Lastly, Shapiro learned
that freedom and democracy mean joint participation and shared
responsibility. |
