How to read the guide

The guide is a comparative study of transitional experience from countries that underwent democratic transition in the recent past. The guide focuses on reconciliation, dealing with members of the past nondemocratic establishment, transformation of security apparatus, opening the archives and the importance of preservation of national memory. It offers a comparison of different approaches and their outcomes.

You can either study each country separately and learn about its development, lessons learned and look for ideas that might work in your country’s case

Or you can pick one issue and compare different countries. The issues covered by this guide are:

• Transformation of the political system
• Dismantling the state security apparatus
• Opening the regime archives
• Lustrations/vetting of the members of past establishment
• Investigation and prosecution of the crimes of the past regime
• Rehabilitation of victims
• Education and preservation of sites of conscience
• Timeline of key transformation events

Remember, the guide is not here to give you the ideal for your transformation. But it offers you different experience and gives you a chance to select the best practices and try to apply them during your own transition. And if you have any questions, our expert team is ready to help you. Just email the project manager of the Guide Michaela Oplíštilová.