Introduction

This introduction explores the "acceleration of history" in Europe, marking the end of the post-1989 era due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It reflects on the thirty-year transition of Central and Eastern European societies from revolutionary euphoria to political disenchantment. While democratic and economic integration progressed, new crises of identity and the rise of populism emerged. The authors emphasize a current shift in European consciousness toward the East amid global uncertainty. THIS ABSTRACT IS GENERATED WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.