The Polish Roundtable Talks and the End of the Cold War

Contributor(s): Professor Anne Applebaum, Eugeniusz Smolar, Nigel Thorpe, Professor Vladislav Zubok | The Polish roundtable talks and subsequent elections on 4 June 1989 were a crucial step in ending the Cold War. 25 years later, LSE IDEAS and the Polish Embassy in London invite witnesses of the Polish Democratic Transition to join academics to discuss the importance of the events for Poland, for Europe, and for the world. Anne Applebaum was the Phillippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at LSE IDEAS. Eugeniusz Smolar is a Polish journalist. He was a member of the Polish opposition movement during the 1980s and director of the BBC Polish Section from 1988 to 1997. Nigel Thorpe is a former British diplomat who served twice in Warsaw, was Head of the FCO Central European Department, and Ambassador to Hungary. Vladislav Zubok is a professor of international history at LSE. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording)