WIKTOR MARZEC – HISTORY ON THE EDGE
On 16 September 2026, the Institute of Contemporary History hosted another lecture in the History on the Edge series.
In his lecture, Irrevolution: Borderland Pathways and Regime Outcomes in the Successor States of the Romanov Empire, 1905–1921, Wiktor Marzec explored the divergent political and social trajectories of four western peripheries of the former Russian Empire – Poland, Finland, Georgia, and Latvia – as they transitioned from imperial rule to independent statehood.
Despite sharing several structural similarities, these regions developed markedly different political systems following the collapse of the empire. Through a comparative perspective, the lecture examined the role of the 1905 Revolution, socialist politics, class conflict, rural mobilization, and inter-imperial competition in shaping these different trajectories.
Marzec paid particular attention to the emergence of national states, demonstrating that their development cannot be understood simply as a predetermined path towards national independence, but also as the outcome of imperial disintegration, revolutionary processes, and intense struggles over the future social order.
The lecture was held in English, both at the Institute of Contemporary History and online via Zoom.
A recording of the lecture will soon be available on SIstory.si, where you can also watch previous lectures from the History on the Edge series.
We are sharing a few highlights from the event.
