The Contemporary History Institute and the Baker Peace Studies program present the 2017 Baker Peace Conference, “Communism: Reflections on a Violent Century,” on March 23 and 24.
This conference will examine what we have learned from Communism during the century since the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia in 1917.
Keynote
The keynote address will be delivered on March 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Baker Ballroom by Dr. Arkady Ostrovsky, a Russian-born British journalist who is currently the Russia and Eastern Europe editor for The Economist. He is the author of the 2016 Orwell Prize winning book The Invention of Russia: The Journey from Gorbachev’s Freedom to Putin’s War. It was chosen as Book of the Year by the Financial Times and the London Review of Books.
Panel Discussions
On Friday, March 24, there will be three panel discussions in Nelson Commons, beginning at 10 a.m., focusing on these three issues:
- “Prophets Vindicated?”—Dr. James Felak, University of Washington, and Dr. Daniel Mahoney, Assumption College, will look at critics of Communism and their impact.
- “The Heart of Communism: A Viable Alternative to Capitalism?”—Dr. Anders Aslund of Georgetown University; Dr. Loren Graham, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Dr. Steve Miner, Ohio University, will discuss the workings of the Communist system and why it ultimately did not succeed.
- “Reflections After the Fall”—Dr. Gary Saul Morson, Northwestern University; Dr. Harvey Klehr, Emory University; and Mr. David Satter of the Hudson Institute will explore the aftermath of Communism and reflect on what we have learned.
The Baker Peace Conference is an annual event that brings together a diverse group of leading experts to discuss a significant national or international issue related to peace. The first Baker Peace Conference took place in 1988, six years after the late Dr. John C. Baker, Ohio University’s president from 1945 to 1962, and his wife, Elizabeth, established the John and Elizabeth Baker Peace Studies Endowment to encourage the education of students and the general public in the means by which peace can be established and maintained throughout the world.
All events are free and open to the public.
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