Role of Polish Political Elites as Developers of Nationalism During Early 19th Century Subject of Presentation by  Dr. Robert Berry at Finland Conference

SALISBURY, MD---Dr. Robert Berry, professor of history in the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts at Salisbury State University, recently attended the VI World Congress of the International Committee for Central and East European Studies (ICCEES) held in Tampere, Finland. (Tampere, once a part of the Russian Empire, was the location where Stalin and Lenin first met.)

At the conference, Berry presented the paper, "Polish Political Elites in Diplomacy: The Hotel Lambert in the Quest for Polish Independence," in a panel dealing with the role of Polish political elites as developers of nationalism during the early 19th century. Berry also attended numerous panels dealing with the history, culture and politics of the region, encompassing Russia, the Soviet Union and the region of Eastern Europe.

The ICCEES Congress, held once every five years, was attended by approximately 1,800 delegates of which 450 came from territories of the former Soviet Union. Highlights included concerts, special showings of a documentary film on Finland’s Winter War of 1939-40 against the Soviet Union and presentations by leaders of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.