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The "Monument to Liberty and the Motherland" in Cyprus commemorates the Greek-Cypriot fighters of the EOKA group, who fought against British colonial rule between 1955 and 1959, aiming to unite Cyprus with Greece (Enosis). Supported by Archbishop Makarios, the group’s struggle resulted in imprisonment, torture, and executions by British authorities. The monument, proposed by Greek artist Ioannis Notaras, was intended to honour EOKA members and victims of the independence struggle.

However, the monument is controversial. It excludes Turkish Cypriots, who did not participate in the EOKA movement, and represents only the Greek-Cypriot narrative. For Turkish Cypriots, it symbolises the erasure of their identity. Efforts to redesign or relocate the monument have not been successful. Its location near the Archbishop’s Palace in Nicosia also highlights the strong connection between the Greek Orthodox Church and Greek identity in Cyprus.

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Image by Bill McChesney via Wikimedia Commons CC By 2.0

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Robert Lee Statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

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Robert Lee Statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

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Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, has long been a controversial figure due to his role in defending slavery and later becoming a symbol of the "Lost Cause" mythology, which romanticises the Confederacy and downplays slavery’s central role. His statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, became a focal point of national debate beginning in 2012. Tensions escalated in 2017 during the violent "Unite the Right" rally, where white supremacists protested the statue's removal. The rally resulted in injuries and one death, highlighting the monument's association with racism and hate groups.

After years of legal battles and public discourse, the statue was removed in July 2021. In October 2023, it was melted down to create ingots, which will be repurposed into a new art piece, marking the end of its contentious history in Charlottesville.

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Image by Roman Eugeniusz via Wikimedia Commons 

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Katyn Massacre Memorial in Warsaw, Poland

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Katyn Massacre Memorial in Warsaw, Poland

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The Katyn Massacre of 1940 involved the execution of 22,000 Polish officers and civilians by the Soviet NKVD, though the Soviet Union initially blamed Nazi Germany. It wasn't until the late 1980s and 1990s that the Soviet government admitted responsibility.

Commemorative efforts began discreetly in the 1950s, with monuments officially erected by 1995. Despite gestures of reconciliation, such as Russian President Boris Yeltsin's apology in 1988, Russia's current stance remains contentious. The monument symbolises the struggle for historical truth between Poland and Russia, with Soviet acknowledgment of the massacre continuing to strain diplomatic relations and public memory.

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Image by Dqfn13 via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

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Jan Pieterszoon Coen Statue in Hoorn, the Netherlands

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Jan Pieterszoon Coen Statue in Hoorn, the Netherlands

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The statue of Jan Pieterszoon Coen in Hoorn, Netherlands, was unveiled in 1893 to honour his contributions to Dutch colonialism. Coen, a Dutch East India Company governor, led brutal colonisation efforts in the Banda Islands, resulting in the massacre of 15,000 Bandanese in 1621. Initially celebrated as a national hero, his legacy became controversial due to his role in colonial violence, racism, and slavery.

The statue has faced criticism and vandalism since 2010, with activists calling for its removal or contextualisation. A plaque was added but failed to quell debates. Protests resurfaced during the 2020 George Floyd movement, leading to further contestation, but the statue remains. Local authorities and museums continue to deliberate on its fate.

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The transatlantic slave trade transported over 12 million Africans to the Americas and the Caribbean between 1501 and 1866, with Britain leading the trade by the 18th century. Cities like Bristol prospered through the exploitation of enslaved African labour, producing lucrative goods such as sugar and tobacco. Edward Colston, a key figure in Bristol’s slave trade, was a member of the Royal African Company, which trafficked thousands of enslaved Africans.

In recent decades, Colston’s legacy has come under increased scrutiny, particularly in Bristol. His statue, erected in 1895, and other memorials in the city have become focal points of debate. Activists have long demanded that the city acknowledge Colston's role in the slave trade. In 2020, after years of protest and discussion, Colston’s statue was forcibly removed by protesters during Black Lives Matter demonstrations, an event that brought renewed global attention to Britain's colonial past and its lingering effects. The ongoing debate around Colston’s legacy reflects the broader struggle to address the painful history of slavery and its continued impact on society.

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Image by Henkgron via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

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Indisch Monument in The Hague, Netherlands

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Indisch Monument in The Hague, Netherlands

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The Indish Monument in The Hague was unveiled by Queen Beatrix on August 15, 1988, to honour the victims of the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. While the monument is appreciated by the Indish community, it faced criticism in 2020 from the activist group Aliansi Merah Putih, which argues that it perpetuates colonial narratives and overlooks the experiences of the colonised. Although the Indish community generally disapproves of the group's actions against the monument, there is a shared belief that the August 15 Remembrance Day fails to adequately represent decolonial histories. In response, a separate commemoration, Decolonial Indies Remembrance Day, was established on August 16, 2022.

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Monument of Despot Stefan in Belgrade. Image by Marko and Lidjia Suica

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Stefan Lazarević, a Serbian mediaeval ruler and poet, played a crucial role in stabilising Serbia in the early 15th century. As the son of Prince Lazar, who died in the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, Stefan’s legacy is deeply linked to this defining conflict in Serbian history. The battle, portrayed as a struggle between Christianity and Islam, became central to Serbian national identity, fostering martyrdom narratives.

Recent monuments honouring Stefan Lazarević have been erected in Serbia, especially in the context of unresolved ethnic tensions and political negotiations regarding Kosovo. These monuments serve to emphasise Serbia’s historical ties to Kosovo and claim to "temporarily lost" territories. Stefan, canonised as a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1927, is positioned as a national symbol of continuity and resistance.

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You will need to pilot 1 to 2 lessons with your students by November 30th 2024.

Once you have chosen, let us know at lauriane@euroclio.eu and we will share the lesson plans.

After piloting a lesson, we will ask you to:

Fill in a review grid

Share a short report with critical reflections

No time to test with students?

We also welcome more theoretical feedback and reviewers of the toolkit in its entirety.

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Skill: How do values change over time? (Transgenerational clashes / National heroes)

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

Recognise the contestations linked to the context and representation of monuments.

Challenge different interpretations of historical narratives.

Reflect critically on the importance of memorialisation and monuments in shaping the modern world.

Critically evaluate different perspectives and interpretations of the same historical event.

Recognise the diversity of forms and symbolic messages by the author of the monument or officials/patrons/clients who commissioned the monument.

Discuss in an argumentative manner which values ​define contemporary society.

Identify the change of societal and political values over time reflected through monuments.

Establish connections between artistic forms/approaches and promote political ideas.

Compare the ways monuments are misappropriated or mis/used for political purposes, the public culture of remembrance, and official interpretations of the past.

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Skill: How do values change over time? (Transgenerational clashes / National heroes)

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

Analyse primary sources critically.

Understand how different perspectives over the same figure and past appear in society.

Be open to listening to other beliefs and worldviews over historical events.

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Skill: Multiperspectivity in monuments

Learning Outcomes: With this lesson, students will:

Explore how a specific historical narrative is represented in the monument.

Analyse the reasons why the monument is contested.

Develop ideas of how the monument can be adapted/changed to incorporate multiple perspectives.

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Skill: Media literacy and critical source analysis

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the lesson, students should:

Be open to other beliefs, worldviews and practices.

Be able to identify biassed media and misinformation.

Have deepened their historical knowledge and developed media literacy.

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Skill: Media literacy and critical source analysis

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students should:

Comprehend and recognise the significance of honouring human dignity and upholding human rights.

Have developed skills for critically identifying historical sources, perspectives, information, and complexity.

Recognise the significance of historical occurrences in comprehending current politics and events.

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Skill: Conflict resolution

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students should be able to

Develop their historical knowledge of Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Learn how to work together to create a larger narrative from its constitutive parts.

Appreciate how multiple events, actors and decisions contribute to an outcome.

Analyse the reasons why the statue was moved from its previous position.

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Skill: Skill: Multiperspectivity in monuments

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students will:

Be acquainted with primary sources.

Have an understanding of the complexity of history as seen through the lens of a public monument.

Be able to be open to listening to other beliefs and worldviews over historical events.

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Image by Maina Kiai via Flickr CC BY 2.0

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Comfort Women Statue in Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Comfort Women Statue in Seoul, Republic of Korea

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"Comfort women" refers to women and children forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces between 1932 and 1945 during the Asia-Pacific War. This systematic policy targeted primarily young girls aged 14 to 18, utilising deception, kidnapping, and collaboration with local recruiters. Estimates suggest around 200,000 victims, primarily from occupied countries such as Korea, China, and the Philippines. In 1991, Kim Hak-soon became the first survivor to publicly share her story, leading to increased awareness and an official apology from the Japanese government in 1992. The Asian Women's Fund was established to provide compensation, sparking protests known as the 'Wednesday Demonstrations' in South Korea, demanding justice for the survivors. The Statue of Peace, unveiled in 2011 during the 1,000th demonstration, symbolizes the ongoing struggle for recognition and apology from the Japanese government, despite continued calls for its removal from Japan.

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Skill: How would you design a monument? (future temporality)

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students will:

Value human rights.

Have strengthened their respect and civic-mindedness for other worldviews and opinions.

Have learnt to apply historical knowledge.

Have developed their creative thinking.

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Georgios Grivas Statue in Limassol and Pafos, Cyprus

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Georgios Grivas Statue in Limassol and Pafos, Cyprus

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General Georgios “Dighenis” Grivas was the organiser of EOKA, an underground right-wing group of Greek Cypriot nationalists fighting British Colonial rule in the 1960s. Although celebrated by some as the leader of the Cypriot movement for independence, many oppose Grivas and EOKA’s extremist, often violent methods that also allegedly targeted the Turkish Cypriot population. On January 27, 2002, a statue of Grivas was constructed at the site of his hideout location in Limassol, where he died in 1974. In 2019 this statue was covered in red and pink paint, and an almost identical incident occurred in 2022. In 2023, riots broke out during his 49th annual memorial service at the statue. This case study examines the contested legacy of the EOKA and Grivas in Cyprus and the tension between Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations in conversions surrounding emancipation from the British Empire.

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Radio Television Building in Belgrade, Serbia

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Radio Television Building in Belgrade, Serbia

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The RTS Building in Belgrade commemorates the NATO airstrike on April 23, 1999, during the bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The attack resulted in the deaths of 16 RTS employees and civilians, as NATO targeted the station for allegedly spreading propaganda. This bombing was part of a larger conflict in Kosovo, which followed a year-long war between Serbian forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army. The airstrikes, initiated by NATO without UN approval, led to significant civilian casualties and extensive destruction across the region. In the aftermath, three memorials were established at the bombing site: the "Why?" monument, which lists the victims' names, a cenotaph for two missing employees marked by 16 trees, and the unaltered ruins of the RTS building, which still awaits official memorialization. The contestation surrounding the site remains ongoing, with families of the victims continuing to advocate for recognition and remembrance.

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Skill: How would you design a monument? (future temporality)

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

Understand that monuments reflect the context and time in which they were created.

Analyse the perspectives and historical narratives represented/not represented by a monument.

Design a monument that can reflect different perspectives.

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Skill: Silent conversations

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lesson, students should:

Identify factors of political interpretation of recent history.

Analyse the cultural/symbolic/ form of the monument.

Resolve ambiguous problems.

Use clear and established criteria, principles, or values to make judgments.

Find arguments for the advocated standpoint.

Demonstrate in conversation understanding of other people's viewpoints.

List the most important reasons for disputes regarding the memorialisation of the NATO bombing of RTS.

Differentiate the consequence of a sensitive historical event from the contestation that follows its memorialisation.

Reflect upon personal attitudes, ideas, and values.