2nd Special Event:
“Countries, peoples, and persons who said NO to the Axis powers during World War II!”
Organizer: Αthens Institute under the auspices of the Αthenian Academic Periodical
Date and Time: Thursday, October 30, 2025, 17:30–20:30
Address: Chalkokondyli 9 (5th Floor), Kanigos Square
The Athens Institute, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, is organizing its 2nd Special Event under the auspices of the Athenian Academic Periodical, entitled: “Countries, peoples, and persons who said NO to the Axis powers during World War II!”. The “NO” will be examined for the period 1939–1945 and refers not only to countries, but also to peoples and individual persons who resisted.
The event will highlight both the benefits and the costs that each European country incurred from its participation in World War II.
- The costs will be examined in terms of human losses, as well as economic and material damages.
- The benefits will be studied on political, social, institutional, economic, and cultural levels, not only in the immediate post-war period but throughout the entire period up to the present day.
At the same time, the neutrality of certain countries will be examined, as well as the lessons of the period for today’s Europe, with particular attention to the preservation of the spirit of resistance and its contemporary manifestations.
Topics
- Individuals and leaders who resisted the Axis powers.
- Popular resistance movements and social movements in Europe (1939–1945).
- Participation of countries in World War II and the meaning of the “NO.”
- Neutrality and diplomatic balances: countries that took no side and their reasons.
- Costs and benefits from the end of the war to the present.
- Memories and lessons of the historical “NO” for Europe – Contemporary manifestations.