Related articles
Current AffairsWho is to take credit for Velvet Revolution?
Monday was a holiday here in the Czech Republic, marking the fourteenth
anniversary of the Velvet Revolution that put an unexpected end to forty
years of Communist rule. Although the country's historians and politicians
are still arguing over who should be credited for the Communists'
downfall, the major role of the dissident movement has never really been
questioned. But in an article for last Saturday's daily Mlada Fronta Dnes,
Czech President Vaclav Klaus played down the role of the dissident elite,
saying it was ordinary people, leading their everyday lives who should
really be thanked for bringing down communism.
More
Talking Point14th anniversary of Velvet Revolution
During the second half of the 1980s, the tension that was created after the
1968 Soviet-led invasion in Czechoslovakia had eased, especially after the
introduction of Mikhail Gorbachev's Perestroika reforms in the Soviet
Union. The Czechoslovak leadership, however, still headed by Gustav Husak
who came to power after the '68 invasion, was suspicious of movements
intended to "reform communism from within" and continued to
embrace a hard line. But by 1988 there were organized demonstrations
demanding change and with the fall of the Berlin Wall and weakening
communist governments in other neighbouring countries, it was not to be
long before Czechoslovakia too would be freed from its oppressive regime.
More
Current AffairsNew book examines Czech students' role in demise of Communist system
A new book entitled "Students and Communist Rule between 1968 and
1989" has just appeared on the bookshelves. The aim is to highlight
the special role Czech students played not only in overthrowing the
communist regime fourteen years ago, but throughout the totalitarian era.
More
WitnessMartin Smid - the student who survived his own death on the 17th November 1989
This month is the 14th anniversary of the dramatic events that in a matter
of days brought down Czechoslovakia's communist regime. We remember the
period as a bloodless or "velvet" revolution, but on the 17th
November 1989, at the height of the student demonstration that sparked the
revolution, a rumour spread like wildfire that a mathematics student from
Prague's Charles University, a certain Martin Smid, had been beaten to
death by the police. It was true that Martin had been at the
demonstration, but as we hear from him now, rumours of his death were
greatly exaggerated.
More
One on OneIska Lichter: remembering a time when "we all got along"
Iska Lichter was born Jindriska Zofie Roudnicka in the town of Kolin, in
1930. The daughter of a Jewish father and a gentile mother, she lived a
normal life until 1939 and the Nazi occupation. Her parents divorced -
deliberately - to avoid the family being persecuted. Her father sent the
family to the countryside, he himself went to his mother's town of
Podebrady. He was deported to Terezin in 1942 and later sent to Auschwitz,
from which he never returned. Iska, who now lives in Colorado, says hardly
a day goes by when she does not think of her father, and her life before
the war.
More
WitnessKaterina Vondrova - a night to remember on both sides of the globe
Translator and interpreter Katerina Vondrova left communist Czechoslovakia
with her parents in 1981 when she was just ten years old. The family moved
to Sydney, Australia and Katerina went to primary and secondary school
there, without knowing whether she would ever be allowed to visit her
native country again. She was in her final year of high school, preparing
for a university course in Australia, when something happened on the other
side of the globe that altered her plans and determined her future life.
More
Talking PointWriter Padraic Kenney discusses his book "A Carnival of Revolution" and the events of 1989 in Central Europe
Almost fourteen years ago, the communist regimes of Central and Eastern
Europe came crumbling down, starting a new era in the history of Europe.
In Czechoslovakia, the events of November and December of 1989 came to be
known as the "Velvet Revolution". Although they bear much in
common, the revolutions in other countries of the region were not so
peaceful and rapid. Professor Padraic Kenney from the Department of
History at the University of Colorado is the author of a recently
published book called "A Carnival of Revolution", which deals
precisely with those events that ultimately changed the map of Europe. Dr
Kenney came to the Czech Republic recently to discuss his book and the
events of 1989 at Prague's Charles University. Our former colleague Dean Vuletic spoke to Mr
Kenney and began by asking him about the genesis of his book.
More
Current AffairsCzech Radio History Part VI - November 17th, 1989
In this week's edition of our special on the history of Czech Radio,
marking the station's 80th anniversary, Jan Velinger looks at the role of
the station during the fall of Communism in 1989.
More
WitnessMichal Lobkowicz - soldier of the revolution
During the Velvet Revolution, Michal Lobkowicz found himself wanting to
take part in the events that would change the course of his country's
history. But while many were content with just being a part of the
revolution, Michal Lobkowicz continued to pursue a career in politics, and
in 1990 he was elected to the Czech parliament as a member of the Civic
Democratic Party. In 1998, at the age of 34, he became defence minister in
the interim government of Josef Tosovsky, and during his ministerial term
he quit the Christian Democrats for the newly formed Freedom Union. Last
year he left politics to start afresh, and he is now pursuing a career in
business. Here he recalls the "fresh start" that his country
made in 1989, and the role he played in the Velvet Revolution.
More
