VACLAV HAVEL AND THE “VELVET REVOLUTION,” 1989 term paper

Czechoslovakia, even with the changes taking place in Poland, Hungary, and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the fall of 1989, did not immediately join in the Revolution of 1989 which resulted in the breakup of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany. Czechs and Slovaks had responded to Mikhail Gorbachev’s call for reform. Dissent had increased in 1987 and 1988, both in the case of Charter ’77, a group formed after the Helsinki Conference to monitor human rights issues, and in the very different case of the Catholic Church, particularly in Slovakia. Nonetheless, Milos Jakes, who became the new party leader in 1987, did not have to deal with the kind of economic crises taking place in Poland and the GDR, and maintained order through the fall of 1989.

On 17 November 1989, however, student demonstrators in Prague filled Wenceslas Square. The police broke up the demonstration and beat anyone they could find. Angered by the violence, a large crowd, hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens of all ages, filled the square on 20 November. The crowds grew night after night, and the Czech government found itself responding to events, always at least a step behind.

The center of political gravity moved to the Magic Lantern Theatre. There Vaclav Havel and others associated with Charter ’77 worked to give direction to the opposition movement. They formed a new group called Civic Forum. Its counterpart in Slovakia was Public Against Violence. On 10 December, a coalition government dominated by non-communists replaced the old government. Alexander Dubcek, the heroic figure of the “Prague Spring,” emerged from long years of obscurity to lend his presence to what the Czechs began to call the “Velvet Revolution.” He became chairman of the national assembly, and it elected Havel president unanimously. Free elections were held the following year in June. Civic Forum and Public Against Violence emerged as the leading parties. Discussions concerning the name of the country, seemingly a very small matter, actually foreshadowed a major issue: the many differences between the Czechs and the Slovaks. By 1993, even as they struggled to establish democracy and free enterprise, Czechs and Slovaks had agreed to the “Velvet Divorce.” Henceforth, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic would be two separate countries.
Suggestions for Term Papers
1. As a group project, make a presentation on life in Czechoslovakia between 1968 and 1989. In addition to the few actively involved in oppositional politics, what did people do to give meaning to their lives?
2. Read one of Vaclav Havel’s absurdist plays and write a report commenting on your reactions to the play and on any connections you see between it and Havel’s politics.
3. Compare the “Velvet Revolution” with the German Revolution of 1989. In particular, focus on ways in which Slovakia in the case of the “Velvet Revolution” and West Germany in the case of the German Revolution of 1989 complicated the situations.
4. Examine the political fates of Civic Forum and Public Against Violence in the aftermath of the “Velvet Revolution.” Why was neither one able to sustain its initial political power?
5. Vaclav Havel has been by far the most successful political figure coming out of the events of 1989. Study both his activities and his writings since the “Velvet Revolution” and write an essay on factors that might account for his success.
6. Investigate the events leading up to the “Velvet Divorce.” Why did the Slovaks decide to do what in many respects was not in their best interests?

Research Suggestions

In addition to the boldfaced items, look under the entries for “The Prague Spring, 1968” (#70), “The Helsinki Accords, 1975” (#77), “Solidarity in Poland, 1980–1990” (#82), and “German Reunification, 1989–1990” (#90). Search under Jiri Dienstbier, Gustav Husak, Vaclav Klaus, Milan Kundera, Vladimir Meciar, Jan Palach, and Obcanske Forum (Civic Forum).

SUGGESTED SOURCES

Primary Sources

Havel, Vaclav. Disturbing the Peace: A Conversation with Karel Hvizdala. New York: Knopf, 1990. A long, autobiographical interview of Havel. A very useful source.

———. Letters to Olga, June 1979–September 1982. New York: Henry Holt, 1989. Letters sent from prison in the period before the “Velvet Revolution.” Provides an indication of Havel’s philosophy.

Stokes, Gale, ed, From Stalinism to Pluralism: A Documentary History of Eastern Europe since 1945. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. A highly useful selection of documents that places 1989 in context.

Secondary Sources

Garton Ash, Timothy. The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of ’89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague. New York: Random House, 1990. Brilliant reporting from an observer who was often at the very center of events.

Kriseova, Eda. Vaclav Havel: The Authorized Biography. New York: Pharos Books, 1993. A good introduction to Havel’s career as dissident and revolutionary.

Rosenberg, Tina. The Haunted Land: Facing Europe’s Ghosts after Communism. New York: Random House, 1995. Part One is a fascinating account of some of the problems faced by Czechoslovakia in the aftermath of revolution.

Skilling, H. Gordon. Charter 77 and Human Rights in Czechoslovakia. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1981. Good introduction to Charter 77 and Havel.

Skilling, H. Gordon, and Paul Wilson, eds. Civil Freedom in Central Europe: Voices from Czechoslovakia. London: Macmillan, 1991. A good source for documents from the period and for informed commentary.

Weschler, Lawrence. “From Kafka to Dreyfus.” New Yorker, 2 November 1992, 62–63.

———. “The Velvet Purge: The Trial of Jan Kavan.” New Yorker, 19 October 1992; 66–96.

Wheaton, Bernard, and Zdenek Kavan. The Velvet Revolution: Czechoslo-vakia, 1980–1991. Boulder: Westview Press, 1992. An excellent account of events leading up to and during the revolution.

Wolchik, Sharon L. Czechoslovakia in Transition. London: Pinter Publications, 1991. A helpful examination of the many changes in Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s.