The Velvet Revolution

A peaceful movement that ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia in about six weeks.

Background

Since the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968, Czechoslovakia had been run by a hardline leadership. Dissidents, including the playwright Václav Havel and the signers of Charter 77, kept alive demands for human rights.

Course of events

On 17 November 1989 police attacked a student march in Prague, and public outrage grew. Opposition groups formed the Civic Forum, mass rallies filled Wenceslas Square, and a two-hour general strike was held on 27 November. The Communist Party gave up its monopoly of power, and Havel was elected president on 29 December.

Legacy

The transition was remarkably peaceful, hence the name. Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia by agreement on 1 January 1993.