THE VELVET REVOLUTION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA


The Velvet Revolution was a Civil Resistance in Prague the capital of Czechoslovakia. It was a period of large-scale protests against the One-Party Government of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. 

The Velvet Revolution in Prague was a non-violent transition of power in Czechoslovakia. It ended 41 years of communist rule and established a democratic government. On 17 November 1989, the revolution began with a peaceful student demonstration, commemorating the 50th anniversary of a student’s death under Nazi occupation. Police brutally suppressed the protest, injuring hundreds and sparking widespread outrage. A rumored death of a student, Martin Šmíd, fueled public anger. Daily demonstrations grew, with lakhs gathering in Wenceslas Square. Civic Forum of actors, students, and intellectuals led by Václav Havel, emerged as a key opposition group, demanding free elections, freedom of speech, and an end to communist dominance. The revolution was peaceful, with protesters using chants, banners, and symbolic acts like candle vigils. The term "Velvet" reflects the non-violent nature, attributed to disciplined protesters and reformist elements. By late November, the Communist Party began negotiations with Civic Forum. On December 10, 1989, President Gustáv Husák resigned after swearing in a new government with non-communist ministers. On December 29, 1989, Václav Havel, a playwright and dissident, was elected president by the Federal Assembly. The revolution led to free elections in June 1990. Czechoslovakia adopted a parliamentary democracy. Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993, known as the "Velvet Divorce. Prague’s Wenceslas Square, Charles University, and other sites remain symbolic of this democratic triumph.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hermann Wilhelm Göring

Image
  Hermann Wilhelm Göring  was  born on January 12, 1893, in  Rosenheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire. He was  a German politician, Nazi military leader, and convicted war criminal, known as one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. A decorated World War I fighter pilot ace, he was a recipient of the Pour le Mérite ("The Blue Max") and the last commander of Jagdgeschwader 1, a fighter wing once led by Manfred von Richthofen. As an early member of the Nazi Party, Göring was among those wounded in Adolf Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. After Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, Göring was named minister without portfolio and oversaw the creation of the Gestapo, Hitler's secret organization. Göring's rise in power made him the second most powerful man in Germany. He held the position of commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe (air force) until the regime's final days and was entrusted with mobilizin...
Read more

Phoenix Settlement and Tolstoy Farm

Image
  Phoenix Settlement   Tolstoy Farm   Mohanchand Karamchand Gandhi founded two ashrams for community living in South Africa. The Phoenix Settlement was the first ashram-like settlement established near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in 1904.   This was the home for Gandhi and his family from its founding until his return to India on 9 January 1915.  Tolstoy Farm, the second ashram in South Africa, was  initiated and organized  in Johannesburg in 1910 during his South African Movement.  It  was meant for training and preparing people for non-violent satyagraha and served  f rom 1910 to 1913  as the headquarters for campaigning satyagraha against discrimination against Indians in Transvaal, where it was located. Hermann Kallenbach, a Gandhian supporter, allowed Gandhi and seventy to eighty others to live there as long as their local movement was in effect.   Kallenbach  suggested the name for the community, which soon const...
Read more

BLOODY OR RED SUNDAY OF RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Image
  By 1905, the aging Russian autocracy was in terminal decline. Strikes, unrest, and mutiny sprang up across the vast Russian landscape where, for centuries, people had been told that the Tsar was a saintly father figure; inviolable, all-powerful, and divinely appointed. Demonstrations led by Father Georgy Gapon in St. Petersburg on 22 January 1905 helped to shatter this illusion.  Fr. Gapon was a charismatic speaker and effective organizer who took an interest in the working  and lower classes  of the Russian cities.  Tsarist soldiers opened fire on protesters, killing 140 to 240 people and injuring 33 as per official figures. The crowd had been pro-Tsar, carrying pictures and banners of Tsar Nicholas II, and only wished to present a petition to him  calling for reforms such as limitations on state officials' power, improvements to working conditions and hours, and the introduction of a national . This Bloody Sunday or Red Sunday with a series of events sp...
Read more