An analysis on the evolution of a contemporary central and eastern European identity over the past century

This thesis analyzes the evolution of a Contemporary Central and Eastern European Identity over the past one hundred years through the changing rhetoric of three different members of the intelligentsia at three formative moments in Central European history. To accomplish this I studied Roman Dmowski for the First World War period, Czeslaw Milosz for the Second World War period and the Communist takeover, and Milan Kundera for the unrest reaching its apex during the 1980s against Communism and Russification. I analyzed the authors' views on historical process, cultural phenomenon, geographical location, and psychological "othering" to interpret the authors' perspectives on regional identity at each stage in history. My purpose is to analyze how this regional identity has changed and developed to become what it is today, and to speculate on what ramifications this identity may hold for its future with the European Union.