Archive: History | Communism Communism
A new president addresses his fellow citizens
On December 29 1989, Czechoslovakia’s Federal Parliament elected Václav
Havel as the country’s president. In one of the many paradoxes of the
Velvet Revolution, this was the same communist-dominated parliament that
had previously fought so hard to stem the flow of change.
More
Saint Agnes joins the revolution
In last week’s From the Archives, we heard Jaroslav Hutka, singing at the
huge demonstration that took place in Prague’s Letná park on November 25
1989. This was over a week after the Velvet Revolution had begun, but the
hard liners in the communist party were still clinging on to power. The
demonstration was a sign of the huge momentum for change that had built up
in the previous days, and despite the cold weather, with sleet and snow, it
was attended by nearly a million people.
More
1989 student defamation case still unresolved after eighteen years in court
The wheels of Czech justice are famously slow to turn, with court cases
dragging on for what seems like – and often is – years. But how about
this one for size: in the early days of the Velvet Revolution, in November
1989, three students of architecture described their Communist professor as
an arrogant careerist and demagogue. He later demanded an apology, and took
them to court. Twenty years on, and the case is still unresolved.
More
Leader of student resistance to 1948 Communist takeover Josef Lesák dies at 88
Josef Lesák, a leader of the student resistance to the Communist takeover
of Czechoslovakia in 1948, has passed away at the age of 88. Lesák was
also the youngest deputy in the country’s parliament when the Communists
seized power – and became the first MP they put in prison.
More
“Biggest of all is human freedom”: Jaroslav Hutka and the Velvet Revolution
Last week we heard how a song, Marta Kubišová’s “A Prayer for
Marta”, came to symbolize the period of the Velvet Revolution. But there
were other songs and singers who also captured the spirit of the time. One
of them was Jaroslav Hutka. After signing Charter 77, he had been bullied
into exile in 1978, and all his songs and recordings banned. As soon as the
revolution of November 1989 began, he came back home, and in one of the
most moving moments of the period, he appeared at the vast demonstration
held on Prague’s Letná Plain on November 25.
More
Klaus says role of individuals exaggerated in "inevitable" collapse of communism
All this year Czechs are remembering the fall of communism in November
1989, but just what was it exactly? Was it the “overthrow” of
communism? Or simply “the collapse”? That’s a debate that’s
still simmering away in Czech society, and on Saturday the country’s
president Václav Klaus once again waded into it, telling students in
Prague
that the role of individuals in 1989 is often overestimated. More
Student leader turned energy security trouble shooter
Václav Bartuška was one of the leaders of the student protests which
toppled the Czechoslovak Communist regime in November 1989. Recently he has
been the Czech energy security trouble shooter and has been recruited as an
advisor by Sweden’s current EU presidency. I asked Mr Bartuška how he
became one of the leaders of the student protests.
More
A song becomes the symbol of the revolution
In last week’s From the Archives, we heard how Czechoslovak Radio
reported on the student demonstration that sparked the Velvet Revolution on
November 17 1989. Initially the radio toed the official line, defending the
violent police clampdown, but gradually the spirit of revolution spread
through the corridors of our headquarters here in Vinohradská Street.
Every day Wenceslas Square filled with tens of thousands of people, as it
became increasingly clear that the communists’ hold on power was
weakening.
More
Igor Lukeš: renowned historian and commentator
Igor Lukeš is professor of international relations and history at Boston
University in the US. He left Czechoslovakia in the 1970’s and has become
one of the foremost historians of its 20th century history as well as a
sought after expert on Central Europe and Russia. One of his recent works
was “Czechoslovakia between Stalin and Hitler: the Diplomacy of Edvard
Beneš in the 1930’s.” He drew heavily on Czech archive sources for the
work. I talked to Igor Lukeš on one of his frequent trips back to the
Czech Republic and asked him how it had been possible to get away to the
USA.
More
The revolution begins
November 17 1989 did not begin dramatically. It was the fiftieth
anniversary of the execution of nine Prague students who had led protests
in 1939 against the German occupation. Various officially sanctioned
commemorations were taking place and the centre of Prague was filled with
students.
More
+1
+10
