At the 2025 Goldegg Winter Conference on the Social Psychology of Historical Distortion, Anna Potoczek presented research conducted together with Katarzyna Jaśko, Marta Maj and Agnieszka Kuhny, exploring a question: Is history written by the victors?

Drawing on data from studies conducted across multiple countries, including Poland, the United States, and Central Europe, the presentation examined how societies evaluate historical successes and failures – including resistance movements, democratic opposition, and struggles for equality.

The findings reveal a consistent psychological pattern: historical victories are generally perceived as more inspiring, more moral, and more historically important than defeats. This effect appeared across different countries and research designs, suggesting that outcome-based bias strongly shapes collective memory and historical judgment.

At the same time, the research also demonstrated the moral power of historical failure. Even unsuccessful collective actions were often viewed as highly moral and worthy of commemoration – especially when connected to sacrifice, resistance, and collective suffering.

The conference, held in Goldegg, Austria, brought together scholars investigating the social psychological mechanisms behind historical distortion, research on history, and motivated reinterpretations of the past.

Presented within the broader conference theme of historical distortion, the talk highlighted how perceptions of success and failure influence which events societies celebrate and memorialize. The research contributes to ongoing debates about collective memory and victimhood.