First International Conference: "Democracy in the twenty-first century
For the City of Leipzig the historic date of 9 October 1989 represents a special political obligation. Accordingly from 22 to 24 October 2009 an international conference dedicated to “Democracy in the twenty-first century” was held for the purpose of drawing up a critical balance and taking a sober but constructive view of the future prospects for democracy.
Ensuring that democracy, non-violence and freedom of speech receive a hearing
In a series of panel discussions, lectures and workshops prominent guests from the worlds of politics, scholarship and society debated urgent questions surrounding democracy and civil society.
A wealth of questions arose:
- What hopes and dreams drove the upheaval in Europe
- What expectations have been fulfilled
- What dreams have been left unfulfilled?
- What demands are still waiting to be realised?
- What impact has democracy made on people's lives?
Consideration of the state of democracy on a global scale was long overdue. Globalisation is leading to new political, economic and ideological power structures which are difficult to access with tried-and-tested methods of political participation and apparently even more difficult to control. However, this is precisely what the original democratic aim was.