Recording of the discussions within the academic panel entitled “Meanings of 1989 and the Present Significance of the Past” which was part of the international conference "Between Past and Future: The Revolutions of 1989 and the Struggle for Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe", an event organized by CEU and the University of Maryland, held at CEU between 26th and 28th of March, 1999. After the individual presentations of the members of the panel, the audience is invited to ask questions. The tape contains the recording of the debate between the panel and the audience, including the comments raised by conference participants Timothy Garton Ash and John Lampe. After the break, the third panel of the conference entitled “Winners and Losers in the Great Transformations Since 1989” started. The chairman of the panel is Academic Pro-Rector and CEU Professor Sorin Antohi. The speakers are Adam Michnik (Editor, Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland), Martin Palous (Deputy Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic), Valerie Bunce (Professor at Cornell University), János Kis (Professor at CEU), Jeffrey Isaac (Professor at Indiana University) and Vladimir Tismăneanu (Professor at Maryland University). Contains Sorin Anothi’s introductory remarks and Adam Michnik’s speech.