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Czechs and Slovaks Celebrate 20th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution
November 17, 2009
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly
                   
In the city of Prague on November 17, Czechs and Slovaks celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution that took place in the former Czechoslovakia in 1989, a historic event that helped spur the growth of democracy in Eastern Europe.  The Associated Press (AP) reports the celebration of the Velvet Revolution opened with a concert that was attended by government officials, Czech citizens, international celebrities, and featured video messages from President Obama, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  In addition, students were expected to stage a re-enactment of the protest march that eventually led to the fall of the Community Party.  BBC News also reports that to commemorate the protest, former Czech President Vaclav Havel, incumbent Czech President Vaclav Klaus, and Prime Minister Jan Fischer, laid flowers and lit candles at the site where protestors had been beaten.  Havel, a former jailed dissident and playwright, led the peaceful revolution before becoming Czechoslovakia's first president. 

According to an article by BBC News, the original sanctioned demonstration began at Charles University, but student protestors later attempted to march to Wenceslas Square.  Protestors who tried to stray from the official march were beaten by police.  A false rumor that a protestor had been killed by police brutality sparked a twelve day mass protest.  On the twelfth day, the Communist Party announced that it would step down.  The new government was put in place by December 10, and Havel was in office by December 29.  CNN reports that the original November 17, 1989 demonstration was to commemorate the 1939 executions of individuals who protested against the Nazi invasion.  The march in 1989 comprised approximately 15,000 individuals.

In an interview in The New York Times, journalist Jan Urban, who helped spread the rumor of the protestor’s death, said that the rumor was the impetus that helped to mobilize the peaceful rebellion.  Urban was quoted as saying that the spread of the rumor, while a journalistic error, had a positive impact for all Czechoslovakian people: “As a journalist, I am ashamed of the lie because it was a professional blunder. But I have no regrets because it helped bring four decades of communism to an end.” 

AP reports that in a recent speech Havel commented that issues of democracy and freedom still needed to be fought for because of political corruption and backsliding.
Although the Czech Republic has advanced political and economic systems compared to its Eastern European neighbors, critics of the government say that the political system has failed to reduce disproportionate social inequalities that were caused by communism.  Critics also point out that younger generations of Czechs are starting to take the Velvet Revolution for granted, noting that they view November 17 as just another holiday.

Sources:
The New York Times - Velvet Revolution’s Roots Still Obscure 20 Years Later
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/world/europe/18czech.html?hp

Czechs celebrate 20th anniversary of communism's fall
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/17/czech.velvet.revolution.1989/

Czechs celebrate fall of communism 20 years ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gFe4KHqOptQEF7FkATNa7hA3bgmAD9C18QR81

BBC News - Prague marks Velvet Revolution
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8363827.stm

Also See:
Revolutions Of '89: Vaclav Havel -- Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolutionary
http://www.rferl.org/content/Revolutions_of_89_Vaclav_Havel/1879569.html