Filip Slaveski

Filip Slaveski received his PhD in History from the University of Melbourne in 2010 and taught Russian and Soviet History there for a number of years. Most recently, he taught Contemporary European History and Politics at La Trobe University. Much of his research is based on declassified Soviet archival sources relevant to his major interests of Soviet occupations in post-war Eastern Europe, particularly in Germany and the post-war reconstruction of the Soviet Union itself. Filip has collaborated on international research projects investigating Soviet famine in 1946-47 and its impact on Eastern Europe, the demobilisation of the Red Army from 1945 and published journal articles and book chapters in this area. His current research project, 'The Chaotic Transition from War to Peace in Soviet-Occupied Europe, 1945-1953', compares the experiences of social collapse and reconstruction across this region to better understand the continuation of post-war mass violence against the Soviet state and its responses. This project's focus on the interrelated impacts of violence, famine, and state repression on post-war development sheds insights also into how the consequences of this violent past reverberate across this region today.

Filip's most recent work is entitled, The soviet occupation of Germany: hunger, mass violence and the struggle for peace, 1945-1947 (Cambridge 2013). He is also the co-founder of the Australian Russianist Study Group (ARSG), established in 2013 as a regular forum for the discussion of Russian history and contemporary Russian politics in Australia. ARSG connects scholars across Australia and the globe, who stage joint web seminars where members present their research for discussion and critique.