Irony In The Velvet Revolution

Ironies in history are commonplace, and it was certainly prevalent in The Velvet Revolution of 1989. The Velvet Revolution (sametová revoluce) or The Gentle Revolution (nežná revolúcia) as it was known amongst the Slovak counterparts within the movement, was a long-term civil resistance, which culminated into a series of mass protests during a 6-week period in 1989 in what was then The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. This series of movements succeeded in uprooting the single-party system and seceding from the Soviet Bloc, one that was losing ground in terms of authority and ideology all across Eastern Europe. While Francis Fukuyama may have been premature in his proclamation for ‘The End of History” (Fukuyama, 1992), this revolution was part of the broader emancipation from the tyrannies of the USSR and from the puppet, despotic governments that they established.

Right at the outset, I mentioned ‘irony’ as a key observation within this movement. The name itself could be considered as a start. Historical

This allowed the corresponding wave of movements or revolutions across Eastern Europe, referred to as the ‘Revolutions of 1989’, that had swept over Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, and would move on to Romania, to thrive.



Conclusion


The Velvet Revolution was a mass movement of non-cooperation and strategic non-violence facilitated by a vibrant civic culture and the spirit of dissent to negotiate a peaceful regime change. It is interesting to see instances of emulation in following revolutions as well. During the Green Revolution of 2009, the Islamic Republic of Iran staged a show trial of political leaders and thinkers it accused of fomenting Enghelab -e Makhmali—that is, precisely, velvet revolution. This trend is encouraging to see. There could be a case made that revolution could use some velvet in