ABSTRACT
After the Second World War, by decision of the Great Powers, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were included in the sphere of influence of one of the victors, the Soviet Union, to form the so-called socialist bloc. Under the Soviet regime, national academies of science were generally modeled on the Soviet Academy of Sciences. That pattern has left both good and bad legacies that must be adapted for the present and the future. Despite various deformations and setbacks during the socialist period, the academies of science in Central and Eastern Europe never ceased to play a role in shaping public opinion and influencing state decisions in favor of the public interest. Naturally, under totalitarian regimes such decisions are made by rulers who need not take public opinion into account.
