The Velvet Revolution: A Peaceful End to Communism in Czechoslovakia | Tavaana Case Study The Velvet Revolution: A Peaceful End to Communism in Czechoslovakia The Velvet Revolution Vision and Motivation By the second half of the 1980s, the political atmosphere in the Soviet Union and its satellite states was more relaxed than it had been in previous decades, due to Mikhail Gorbachev's introduction of two new governmental policies: Glasnost, a government effort to make the country's governance transparent and open to debate, and Perestroika, the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system. Many historians cite the introduction of these two policies as a catalyst for many of the nonviolent democratic revolutions that erupted in Soviet-bloc countries. [1] Czechoslovakia's Communist Party took efforts to prevent Gorbachev's reforms from being enacted at home, where an autocratic political system prevailed, government dissent was not tolerated, and political activists were punished harshly through the second half of the 1980s. [2] Through purges of suspected dissidents and their family members, the Communist government established tight control over its citizens.

The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia continued to carry out these policies in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent democratic transition of other Soviet-bloc countries such as Poland and Hungary. These politically repressive conditions, combined with the collapse of the Soviet Union, inspired the Czechoslovaks to demand change from their government. In the last six weeks of 1989, opposition activists staged what became known as the "Velvet Revolution," to overthrow the Communist government in Czechoslovakia. Velvet is associated with Czechoslovakia's democratic revolution because it was a peaceful movement ending in compromise, not violence; Havel and his activist movement had a strategic preference for nonviolent action that facilitated the movement's success. While Slovak members of the activist movement referred to the democratic transition as the Gentle Revolution, Havel and his Czech compatriots continue to refer to it as the Velvet Revolution. Some argue that Lou Reed's Velvet Underground catalyzed the adoption of velvet by Czech civic activists, after a rare copy of the band's first record was snuck into Prague in 1968.

The Velvet Underground later influenced The Plastic People of the Universe, close friends of Vaclav Havel who were an underground rock band that musically embodied Czech's opposition movement from 1968 to 1989. [3] Goals and Objectives The Velvet Revolution began somewhat spontaneously on November 17, 1989, with a student march organized to mark the 50th anniversary of a protestor's death in a student demonstration against the Nazi occupation. However, it quickly turned into an anti-government protest, with students carrying banners and chanting anti-Communist slogans. [4] Although the student protest was conducted in a peaceful manner, 167 student protestors were hospitalized after being beaten by police. [5] The demonstration and its accompanying violence inspired workers' unions and other civic groups to organize for a free and democratic Czechoslovakia. [6] Following the student demonstration, mass protests were held in several cities across Czechoslovakia. Actors and playwrights were prominent within the dissident movement, so theaters became meeting places where activists devised their political strategies and held public discussions.

[7] During a discussion held in a Prague theatre on November 19, a group called the Civic Forum was established as a collection of spokespeople of the democratic movement. [8] The group demanded "the resignation of the Communist government, the release of prisoners of conscience, and investigations into the November 17 police action." [9] Leadership The Civic Forum, the heart of Czechoslovakia's democratic movement, was led by Vaclav Havel. Havel, an author, playwright, and poet, used his talent to craft the movement's messaging, challenging the government in a way that captured the public's confidence and imagination. "I really do inhabit a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire structure of government, where words can prove mightier than ten military divisions," Havel has said. [10] In plays like The Garden Party, The Memorandum, and The Interview, Havel showed the effects of a repressive government bureaucracy on ordinary people and their private lives and relations.

[11] He had been active during the "Prague Spring" period of liberalization in Czechoslovakia in 1968, when the country's leader, Alexander Dubček, lifted restrictions on freedom of speech and state controls on industry. For a few months, Czechoslovaks were able to openly criticize Soviet rule, travel about the country more freely, and form new political clubs not affiliated with the Communist Party. However, that summer Soviet troops were sent into the country to stop the reforms, causing Havel to speak out against the invasion on Radio Free Czechoslovakia. As a result of his human rights activism, his plays were banned from Czechoslovak theaters, and in 1977, he was sentenced to four and a half years of hard labor. [12] A strong believer in both liberal democracy and non-violent protest, Havel was also known as one of the founders of Charter 77, a civic initiative created in 1977. This group wrote a manifesto calling on the regime to live up to its international human rights commitments; this prompted the government to imprison its members and ban the Charter 77 document.

On November 19, 1989, Havel founded the Civic Forum. [13] Under his leadership, prominent members of Charter 77 came together with other dissident groups to form the Civic Forum, which was intended to unite the Czechoslovak opposition in order to overthrow the Communist regime. Successfully having orchestrated a series of public demonstrations and strikes over the next three weeks, Havel became the face of the Czech opposition and led the group in talks with the government in early December 1989. After successful negotiations with the Communist government, Havel was appointed president of Czechoslovakia in 1989, and then elected president in June 1990, holding the office until 2003. For his civic activism and political leadership he has received numerous awards including Liberal International's Prize for Freedom, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Philadelphia Medal, the Order of Canada and the International Gandhi Prize. In addition to innumerable awards and distinctions, Havel has become an inspiration to democratic movements across the globe. Civic Environment Under the Communist regime, Czechoslovakians were offered little space to express political dissent.

The Communist Party successfully persecuted political dissidents before the Velvet Revolution, most notoriously after the Prague Spring of 1968, when hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops invaded Czechoslovakia to put an end to political reforms and strengthen the Party's authority. Even small signs of non-conformity were taken seriously; one man recalls that his grandfather, a university lecturer, was reported to the authorities for referring to his students as "ladies and gentlemen" rather than "comrades." [14] The regime's attempts to place restrictions on free speech, which had been used against Czech opposition groups in the past, failed to muzzle the zeal of Havel and the Civic Forum. During the initial November 17 nonviolent protest, student activists offering flowers to police were brutally beaten; however, the subsequent marches, protests, and strikes that took place in the following week could not be silenced by police brutality. The barrage of nonviolent activism had such a profound effect on the Czechoslovak people, including police and members of internal security institutions, that protests and strikes increasingly grew larger and faced less government repression. Nonviolent protestors led by Havel and the Civic Forum catalyzed a significant shift in the civic environment of Czechoslovakia.

Message and Audience During the first opposition protest of the Velvet Revolution on November 17, student organizers directed their message demanding the government's resignation to both the Czechoslovak people and the government via banners and posters. With the formation of the Civic Forum less than 48 hours later, most university students, theatre employees and actors went on strike instantaneously, yet Havel knew that many more would have to join them in strike in order for the movement to grow and bear fruit. Havel and his cohort agreed to continue pushing for the government to resign; however, in order to bolster national support for his movement, a new message needed to be crafted for the Czech people. Havel, who determined that methods of economic and social noncooperation in the form of strikes would be most effective against the government, sought to organize a general strike for November 27 that would span across Czechoslovakia. During the next several days, Havel and the Civic Forum coordinated mass demonstrations throughout the country, using the platform both to openly express its displeasure with the government and to spread word about the November 27 general strike.

Together, tens of thousands gathered in protest, chanting in the streets, "It's finally happening!" [15] The democratic movement in Czechoslovakia built a broad base of democratic consciousness; the demonstrations in Prague on November 25 and 26 drew an estimated crowd of nearly 750,000 people. [16] The daily protests gave way to meetings between the Civic Forum and Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec, in which the Prime Minister personally guaranteed that no violence would be used against Czech citizens. [17] Then, on November 27, a reported 75% of the Czech population participated in a two-hour general strike, showing the mass support that had gathered behind the Civic Forum. The strike, which bolstered the demands put forth by the opposition movement, ended the "popular" phase of the Velvet Revolution as Havel and the Civic Forum successfully showed the Communist regime that the Czech people would no longer obey. Outreach Activities Discredited and powerless against the demands of protestors, the Communist Party was pushed into talking with Havel and the Civic Forum, ushering in a new political climate.

The Communist Party officially ceded its monopoly on political power in Czechoslovakia to allow for multi-party rule on November 28, just one day after the citizens' general strike. On December 10, Communist President Gustav Husak resigned, and on December 29, the Czech Parliament appointed Vaclav Havel to the presidency of a free Czechoslovakia. As the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first of the Czech Republic, Havel helped facilitate the state's historic transition to democracy, marked by free and fair elections in June 1990, the first since 1946. The new government liberalized Czechoslovak law with respect to both politics and the economy, creating an open and free society. 1989 - The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe 1989 - The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe 1989 was a year that changed the face of Europe. Communism collapsed in Eastern European countries and the Iron Curtain was dismantled. In Poland, the largest Communist country apart from the Soviet Union , the free trade union Solidarity got more and more support from the population.

In the June 1989 national elections Solidarity won the majority of seats in the Senate. As a result, Poland became the first Soviet satellite state to have a non-communist Prime Minister. A year later Solidarity leader Lech Walesa was elected Poland's first democratic President. In 1988 Communist Hungary started making it easier for its own citizens to travel to the west. In May 1989 it started to tear down its barbed wire and metal fences along the border to Austria. East Germans, who were allowed to travel to Communist countries but not to the west, took advantage of Hungary’s move. In the summer of 1989 thousands of East Germans traveled to Hungary for their holidays. They never went back and escaped to West Germany through Austria. In September Hungary's Foreign Minister declared that it would not stop the thousands of East Germans who were going to Austria. At the beginning of October Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachew visited Berlin for East Germany’s 40th anniversary. During these celebrations East German citizens demonstrated on the streets of Berlin and other cities. They demonstrated for freedom and the right to leave Communist Germany. Gorbachew warned the Communist leaders not to ignore the rights of the population.

The Iron Curtain - Free countries of Western Europe are blue, Communist countries of Eastern Europe are red,Yugoslavia was bloc-free As the protest movement got stronger East German television announced on November 9, 1989 that all citizens were free to travel to West Germany. Within hours thousands passed the border at the Brandenburg Gate and other official border crossings in Berlin. A day later bulldozers started tearing down the Berlin Wall , which had been built in 1961 to stop East Germans from escaping to the West. East Germany's communist leader Erich Honnecker did not realize that everything was over. Within a few months he and other communist leaders were removed from office and on October 3, 1990 East and West Germany joined to become one nation. In autumn of 1989 unrest and rioting spread to Czechoslovakia. The weeks of demonstrations and protest were called the Velvet Revolution. In the end the whole communist government had to resign. At Prague's Wenceslas Square 200 000 people celebrated freedom and the collapse of Communism. The leader of the movement, dissident and playwright Vaclav Havel became president of Czechoslovakia.

In December 1989 protests erupted in communist Romania. Thousands of people started demonstrating in the streets and tearing down posters of Communist dictator Nicolai Ceausescu. Ceausescu ordered the police and the army to crush the protests. Dozens were killed in a wave of violence. But as protests became even stronger the army started to support the demonstrators. Ceausescu and his wife fled Bucharest by helicopter. They were captured a few hours later by army soldiers and kept prisoners for three days. On Christmas Day Ceausescu and his wife were put on trial at a military base. They were found guilty by a people's court and executed on the same day. Bulgaria's change to freedom occurred without violence. Its communist leader Zhivkov stepped down after 34 years in power. In the weeks before anti-communist protests swept throughout the country. A few months later the first free elections were held in Bulgaria.

West Germans on the Berlin Wall in 1989 anniversary = date on which something important happened years ago announce = declare officially barbed wire = metal wire with sharp thin points on it border = line between two countries bulldozer = powerful machine that is used for destroying buildings and moving rocks and stones capture = to catch a person and keep them as prisoner celebration = party, festival citizen = a person who lives in a country and has rights there collapse = break down declare = announce, speak out officially dismantle = to get rid of; break down dissident =protester fence = structure made out of metal or wood that is around land Foreign Minister = minister who has the job of talking to and contacting other nations ignore = overlook, not pay attention to Iron Curtain = the name that was used for the border between the Communist countries of Eastern Europe and the free countries of Western Europe join = to come together playwright = dramatist, writer population =the people of a country prisoner = someone who is captured and kept in a room waiting for a court to find out if they are guilty or not protest movement = here: rebellion of the people against the government remove = here: they had to step down; they were no longer leaders resign = quit; leave your job right = what

 a person is officially allowed to do riot = rebellion satellite state = a state that is not really independent but has to do what other states tell them spread = reach to , extend to step down = to leave your job support = help sweep throughout = to move through the whole country take advantage of = to use the situation to do what you want trade union = an organization that represents the rights of the workers trial = a judge and a jury tries to find out if someone is guilty or innocent unrest = conflict, fighting velvet = type of cloth with a soft surface on one side violence = fighting Czechoslovakians campaign for democracy (Velvet Revolution), 1989 | Global Nonviolent Action Database Czechoslovakians campaign for democracy (Velvet Revolution), 1989 View Location on Map Goals: Campaigners sought an end to the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia, as well as an end to communist rule.

They demanded an end to state-mandated censorship and the set up of free elections. Leaders, partners, allies, elites Leaders: Leaders included: Vaclav Havel, a dissident playwright and leader of the Civic Union who later became president of Czechoslovakia; Public Against Violence; Alexander Dubcek, the Slovak leader who initiated a series of reforms that helped set in motion the Prague Spring in 1968 Students initiated the campaign Not known Involvement of social elites: On 21 November 1989, Catholic Cardinal Frantisek Tomasek of Bohemia declared his support for the Czech student campaigners. Joining/exiting order of social groups Groups in 1st Segment: Opponent, Opponent Responses, and Violence Opponents: Communist Party government of Czechoslovakia Nonviolent responses of opponent: Success in achieving specific demands/goals: 6 points out of 6 points Survival: 1 point out of 1 points Growth: 3 points out of 3 points Total points: 10 out of 10 points By the end of World War II, the Soviet Union had invaded and taken over much of Czechoslovakia.

The Communist Party officially came to power in February 1948, and under its rule dissidents faced persecution by secret police, censorship was enforced, Marxist-Leninist ideology was proclaimed mandatory in schools, and all schools, media, and businesses became the possessions of the state. During the Prague Spring in 1968, Slovak leader Alexander Dubcek initiated a series of progressive reforms that prompted the Soviet Union and its members to intervene. Gustav Husak then assumed power over the Communist Party. Mikhail Gorbachev’s 1985 reforms of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), while not immediately changing the political situation in Czechoslovakia, did embolden some dissident groups to begin experimenting with different forms of protest. 25 March 1988, Roman Catholic groups who sought religious freedom organized a Candle Demonstration, an event that was attended by more than 5,000 Slovaks. The Organizers of the Candle Demonstration had used radio stations including Radio Free Europe and Voice of America to inform Czechoslovakians of the planned demonstration.

It was the first mass demonstration since 1969, and police forces responded by shooting protesters with water cannons and beating them with sticks and batons. As Czechoslovakia’s economy continued to suffer in the 1980s, growing discontent among the population spurred citizens to begin supporting calls for economic reform. In the summer of 1989, activists circulated a petition that demanded an end to censorship and called for the beginning of political reform. Meanwhile, growing numbers of East Germans began demanding exile to West Germany, and after decades of separation the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989. Czechs and Slovaks watched on their television screens as Soviet domination of Eastern Europe began to crumble. On 16 November 1989, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of International Students Day—a day that commemorated the death of Jan Opletal, a student who participated in the student protests against Nazi occupation—Slovak high school and university students organized a peaceful demonstration in Bratislava. Expecting trouble, the Communist Party alerted the armed forces, but the students were able to proceed peacefully and reached the Slovak Ministry of Education to discuss their demands for educational reform.

The following day in Prague, what began as a legal rally that was organized by the Socialist Union of Youth (a wing of the Communist Party) turned into a larger demonstration that drew approximately 50,000 people. After the official end of the march, demonstrators continued into downtown Prague holding banners and chanting anti-Communist slogans. However, the demonstrators were stopped by riot police, who blocked escape routes and battered the students. One student was rumored to have been killed; although the rumor was later proved false, it helped spur greater public anger with the police. That evening, students and theater actors agreed to go on strike On 18 November 1989, striking actors in Prague opened theater stages only for public discussions, and university and performing arts students went on strike. Homemade posters and proclamations were posted in public spaces, and actors read a proclamation by the students and artists to audiences, calling for a general strike on 27 November. The next day, members of artistic and literary associations joined the strike, as well as actors in Bratislava, Brno, and Ostrava.

In addition, about 500 Slovak artists, scientists, and leaders met at the Art Forum in Bratislava, denouncing the attack against the students in Prague. While there, they formed the Public Against Violence organization, which became the leading force behind the opposition movement in Slovakia. In addition, dissident playwright Vaclav Havel helped establish the Civic Forum, which called for the dismissal of top officials responsible for the violence on 17 November, the release of all political prisoners, and political and economic reforms. In response to the strikes and growing opposition, government officials appeared on public television in an attempt to convince the public that no one had been killed and to call for a return to normalcy. However, on November 20, students and actors decided to stage a permanent strike until the Communist officials stepped down. Also on that day, police officers stopped a demonstration from continuing toward the Prague Castle and Civic Forum representatives held an unofficial meeting with Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec who was sympathetic to the students’ demands but refused to make concessions. Mass demonstrations continued in Prague and Bratislava.

The following day, the Civic Forum held an official meeting with the Prime Minister, who, although promising that violent force would not be used against the demonstrators, said that he would steadfastly protect socialism. During these meetings, mass demonstrations were held in Wenceslas Square in central Prague, as well as in Hviezdoslav Square in downtown Bratislava, demonstrations with about 200,000 participants. Also on this day, a separate demonstration was held in front of the Palace of Justice, where protesters demanded the release of political prisoner Jan Carnogursky, who was released two days later. Catholic Cardinal Frantisek Tomasek of Bohemia also declared his support for the striking students on 21 November. Students and actors also traveled to factories to gain support of industrial workers. In response to the demonstrations, the Communist government continued to declare that order had to be preserved and that socialism was the only acceptable system. Milos Jakes, Chairman of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, held a special address on Federal Television in which he criticized strikers for instigating disorder.

On 22 November, Civic Forum responded to the Communist government’s unwillingness to relinquish power by reiterating the call for a two-hour general strike to take place on Monday 27 November. The government countered this by cutting off live reports of demonstrations on Federal Television. However, employees of the Slovak section of Federal Television threatened to initiate a strike of television employees if the events in the country went unreported. Uncensored live reports from demonstrations in Braislava then followed. On 23 November, the Minister of Defense delivered a television address in which he called for an end to the demonstrations, but also declared that the army would not take action against the Czechoslovak people. However, on the following day, the entire executive committee of the Communist party resigned, including General secretary Milos Jakes (Karel Urbanek was named the new General Secretary). Also on this day, Federal Television televised film from the 17 November demonstration, and Vaclav Havel gave his first television address. Czechoslovak TV and Radio also announced that they would join the general strike. On 25 November, the new communist leadership held a press conference while demonstrations continued.

On November 26, the editorial staff of Slovakia’s Pravda, the central newspaper of the Communist party of Slovakia, joined the opposition, while two members of the Czech riot police who took part in the beatings of students, apologized at a mass rally in front of hundreds of thousands. Demonstrations continued. On Monday 27 November, the planned two-hour general strike went into effect at noon, and nearly three-fourths of the Czechoslovakian population participated. The following day, Civic Forum held its second meeting with prime minister, who agreed to form a new coalition government and erase articles in the Czechoslovakian constitution that provided that the Communist Party must have the leading role. On 29 November, Parliament voted in favor of the legislation and also abolished the provision that made Marxist-Leninist ideology a mandatory part of school curriculum. In early December, Communist leader Gustav Husak appointed the first largely non-Communist government in Czechoslovakia since 1948, and eventually resigned. Two weeks later, Alexander Dubcek became the first speaker of the federal parliament, and on 29 December 1989 Havel was elected president of the republic.

Free elections were held in June 1990. Research Notes Influences: During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Communist governments throughout Europe began to topple (see Soviet Bloc Independence Campaigns (1989-)). With the fall of the Berlin Wall in early November 1989, Czechoslovakians became increasingly emboldened to challenge their own form of authoritarian domination. (1) Sources: Wheaton, Bernard and Zdenek Kavan. The Velvet Revolution: Czechoslovakia, 1988-1991. Westview Press, Inc. Oxford, 1992. Long, Michael. Making History: Czech Voices of Dissent and the Revolution of 1989. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Maryland, 2005. Paulson, Joshua. "The Liberation of Czechoslovakia -- 1989" in Gene Sharp, Waging Nonviolent Struggle: 20th Century Practice and 21st Century Potential. Boston: Porter Sargent Publishers, 2005. Williams, Kieran.

The Prague Spring and its aftermath: Czechoslovak politics, 1968-1970. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 1997. Documentary. “The Power of the Powerless.” (Not viewed). “Timeline: Czechoslovakia. A Chronology of Key Events.” British Broadcasting Company. 17 March 2003. < > See also: Ackerman, Peter and Jack Duvall. A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. Additional Notes: Velvet Revolution in Prague Czechoslovakia 33 Panic! on the Streets of Prague 1989 brought a domino effect of revolutions. Timothy Garton Ash remarked: "In Poland the transition [from communism to democracy] lasted ten years, in Hungary ten months, in Czechoslovakia ten days." Those ten eventful days fell between November 17th and 27th, 1989.

After the failure of the Prague Spring , many Czechoslovaks rightfully held doubts about the possibility of revolution, but as events starting in with Solidarity in Gdansk , Poland and continuing in the other Bloc countries seemed hopeful, the revolution in Czechoslovakia became inevitable. The Velvet Revolution would not have been possible were it not for the monumental events unfolding in the other Communist Bloc countries. The Estonian Singing Revolution was well on its way in Estonia, not to mention the election of Solidarity members to Poland 's government. On August 23rd, 1989, two million people from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined hands along a 600km stretch of road between Tallinn , Riga and Vilnius . Finally, November 9th, 1989 brought the fall of the infamous Berlin Wall . Also, on December 4th the border to Austria was opened, effectively ending the Iron Curtain division of East and West. On the first day of the revolution, a peaceful student demonstration to commemorate International Students' Day began in Prague and ended with violence on Narodni Street, when riot police blocked off escape routes and severely beat students.

That first domino began an avalanche, as almost every day afterwards until the end of December brought more protests with more and more people participating. By November 20 an estimated half-million of peaceful protesters took to the streets, up from the 200,000 of the day before. A general two-hour strike that involved all citizens of Czechoslovakia was held on November 27th (various video clips from these protests and from the Warsaw Pact invasion of 1968 can be seen at the Museum of Communism in Prague). After that, demonstrations were being held almost daily in Prague's Wenceles Square as well as in Bratislava . One of the most important developments was the establishment of the Civic Forum by Vaclav Havel and other prominent members of Charter 77 and other dissident organizations, which would establish much of the post-revolution leadership, including Havel as president. The Forum was a mass popular movement for reforms that called for the dismissal of top officials responsible for the violent attack on the students, an independent investigation of the incident and the release of all political prisoners.

On November 28th the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia sensed its defeat and agreed to give up their monopoly on political power. On December 10th, Communist President Gustav Husak appointed the first largely non-communist government in Czechoslovakia since 1948, and resigned. Alexander Dubcek was elected speaker of the federal parliament on December 28 and Vaclav Havel became the first president of a free Czechoslovakia since 1948 on December 29, 1989. With Havel as president, the students ended their strike and the Velvet Revolution ended. Afterwards, the first democratic elections since 1946 were held in June 1990, and brought the first completely non-communist government to Czechoslovakia in over forty years. Enjoyed it? What is the Velvet Revolution? The Peaceful Movement That Overthrew Communist Czechoslovakia Lives On 25 Years Later What is the Velvet Revolution?

The Peaceful Movement That Overthrew Communist Czechoslovakia Lives On 25 Years Later 11/17/14 AT 2:35 PM Close Czech Republic President Milos Zeman was pelted verbally and physically with curses, eggs, tomatoes and sandwiches on Monday during a celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Protesters said he had betrayed the very peaceful revolution he was commemorating. The Velvet Revolution ended 41 years of authoritarian Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989. It started a week after the Berlin Wall fell when Czechoslovak riot police brutally suppressed a student-led pro-democracy protest in Bratislava, causing massive public outrage. The people of Czechoslovakia came out in droves to call for democracy. A week later, after the number of protesters grew to an unprecedented half a million and 75 percent of the country’s entire population went on a two-hour general strike, the Communist leadership stepped down. Two weeks after that, the first non-Communist government was sworn in and a dissident leader, the playwright Vaclav Havel, was made president just in time for New Years 1990.

Remarkably, no one was killed, especially considering Warsaw Pact nations had invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress a popular reform movement just 21 years before. A child shows symbolic red cards to Czech President Milos Zeman during a protest rally in Prague, Nov. 17, 2014. Czechs who helped bring about the "Velvet Revolution" that overthrew Kremlin-backed Communist rule are marking the 25th anniversary this week by accusing the country's present-day leaders of once again cozying up to Russia. Photo: Reuters/David W Cerny Czechs by the hundreds of thousands fill Wenceslas Square in Prague during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Photo: via Wikimedia Commons Previous Next Four years later the country split, also peacefully, into the Czech and Slovak republics. Prague on Nov. 25, 1989, at the height of the protests that brought down the Communist regime. Photo: via Wikimedia Commons The Velvet Revolution has since become the model of the well-executed peaceful revolution, one that hopeful revolutionaries have sought to emulate ever since.

While Zeman’s presidency cannot be compared to the brutal authoritarian Communist regime of 25 years ago, the gripes among the Czech public aren't all too different. Czechs are upset with Zeman’s pro-Russian attitudes and his often vulgar talk and behavior. He’s cozied up with Russian business, publicly sought tips on how to “stabilize” society from China’s Communist leadership and downplayed the revolution so dear to many Czechs and Slovaks . Some in the crowd held up signs reading “I Am Ashamed of My President,” and others shouted “Resign! Resign!” “We disagree with our president’s behavior, I hate the things he says,” said Vojtech Stros, a student in Prague. Demonstrators show symbolic red cards to Czech President Milos Zeman during a protest in Prague, Nov. 17, 2014. Czechs who helped bring about the "Velvet Revolution" that overthrew Kremlin-backed Communist rule are marking the 25th anniversary this week by accusing the country's present-day leaders of once again cozying up to Russia.

Photo: Reuters/David W Cerny Most famously, Zeman was rumored to have been drunk at a Bohemian Crown Jewels ceremony shortly after being inaugurated and is notorious for using vulgarity in the media, most recently this month when discussing the political punk group Pussy Riot on live radio. Related Stories Berlin Wall Reflections, From Bush To The Hoff Despite the crowds and considering that only 25 years have passed, BBC found that only 30 percent of Czechs under the age of 30 are aware that Nov. 17 is a national holiday to remember the Velvet Revolution. People light candles at Narodni street in Prague's city center, Nov. 17, 2014. The Czech Republic marks the anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution, which led to the fall of the Communist regime 25 years ago, on Monday. Photo: Reuters/David W Cerny How far was Gorbachev responsible for the collapse of soviet power in Eastern Europe How far was Gorbachev responsible for the collapse of soviet power in Eastern Europe? The collapse of the Soviet Union was like a time bomb; eventually it would go off.

ï¿½ By 1985 the Soviet Union was in a crisis. The economy was crumbling and it was involved in a costly war against Afghanistan. ï¿½ Gorbachev became leader if the USSR in 1985. ï¿½ He planed a programme of reforms to allow the Soviet Union to recover. ï¿½ Gorbachev introduced ï¿½Perestroikaï¿½ (restructuring). ï¿½Glasnostï¿½) openness) was one other thing he introduced. ï¿½ Gorbachev made rapid moves to try and establish a more friendly relationship with the west. He abandoned the ï¿½Brezhnevï¿½ doctrine. And signed arms reduction treaties with the USA. ï¿½ Gorbachev seemed to be abandoning all the ideas on which Soviet power was based on. ï¿½ His reforms had been introduced to quickly without any proper preparation. ï¿½ This meant that the Soviet Union was plunged into confusion and economic chaos. ï¿½ Gorbachevï¿½s reforms send out signs for the people of Eastern Europe that the Soviet Union could no longer dominate their lives.

ï¿½ During 1989 one by one the communist regimes of Eastern Europe fell because it was no longer supported by the soviet military power; Hungry, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania were all affected. v Hungry-in may 1989 its border was opened to Austria. The Iron Curtain was founded. The first free elections were held in 1990. v Poland-in june1989 free elections were won by solidarity. Walesa was the president. v East Germany-in November 1989 the Berlin wall was pulled down. Due to free election in March 1990 the eastern west of Germany were reunited in October 1990. v Czechoslovakia-in November 1989 The velvet revolution led to the collapse of the Communist government. v Bulgaria in November 1989 the Communist dictator resigned and free elections followed. v Romania in December the communist dictator was overthrown and executed. ï¿½ After the failure of Gorbachevs reforms and the collapse of communist regimes this led to the soviet people demanding an end to Communism.

ï¿½ Gorbachevï¿½s authority disappeared. ï¿½ Under pressure from Boris Yeltsin Gorbachev signed a decree banning the Communist party. ï¿½ In December 1991 Soviet union itself was disbanded. Gorbachev no longer led the country and he resigned. Conclusion We think that Gorbachevï¿½s reforms were not thought out properly therefore causing more damage than good in the economic sense.ï¿½ By Maine, Amanda, Stef and twig. The anti-communist "Revolutions of 1989" | Baltic States Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The anti-communist "Revolutions of 1989" 151pages on Share Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. This page is not completed and is still being written!

The popularly supported Revolutions of 1989 (also known as the Fall of Communism, the Collapse of Communism, the Revolutions of Eastern Europe and the Autumn of Nations) were the pro-democracy revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in the European countries, who resented and hated the failed and de-brerritoned political system imposed on them by the USSR. Margaret Thatcher , Ronald Reagan , François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl all supported this rebellion. The USSR had made great advances, but had also become very dictatorial over the years. They opposed the economic and political decline of the Brezhnev years as well as several lingering injustices from the Stalin years. Politician prisons and the secret police were to be feared under Stalin and Brezhnev. It was also noted that shortages got some what worse under Gorbachev. The events began in Poland in 1989 and continued on into Hungary , East Germany , Czechoslovakia , Bulgaria , and Romania . Subsequently various and extensive of campaigns of civil resistance and disobedience helped to demonstrate the popular loathing of communist one-party rule and helped contribute to the movements for change.

Increased Contact with West Germany (FRG) helped to undermine East Germany (GDR/DDR) after the people noticed the better cars and post- World War 2 buildings. Romania’s despotic Nicolae Chauchescu was particular hated by his subjects, who resented his wealthy lifestyle and their abject poverty (only Albania was worse in Europe). Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country to overthrow its Communist regime violently and then to execute its leader. The Tienanmen Square protests of 1989 failed to any stimulate major political changes in the more docile Chinese, but powerful images of courageous defiance during spurred on pro-democracy movements else ware, including in East Germany which lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall German reunification and the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. Yugoslavia, Mongolia, South Yemen, Ethiopia, Congo (Brazzaville) and Benin also dumped communism in the early 1990's. Contents Edit Since the 18th and 19th centuries communism has been established by politicians like Karl Marx and Frederich Engels.

Later on, the February Revolution and October Revolution overthrown the Russian Tsar, and is followed by the Russian Civil War that lasted until 1923, led to the loss of Poland , Finland and the Baltic States . History Edit After taking over Russia and forming the USSR they began to spread communism, in to neighboring states. The Bolsheviks helped in the creation of the short lived Braverian-Munich SSR of 1919 and the long term take over of Mongolia by communists in 1924. The Stalin years Edit After Lenin's death, Stalin ruthlessly took power over the party started initially making friends with the European powers and Canada, whilst proceeding to obliterate large parts of the populations in both the Ukraine, Kraznordar Obast, and Bashkoitia the Hodmador famine of the 1930s. The dictator then removed his political opposites from the Party during 1937-1938 as victims of the Gulags. Many horrific and bloody purges would hit these areas as well as other places in the Soviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s.

Field Marshal Joseph Stalin sign the Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact which led to occupation of Western Poland (now part of Belarus and Ukraine), the Baltic states and Finland’s the Karelian province. The locals either fled abroad, slavishly obeyed government orders or were moved to Gulag prison and/or labour concentration camps. Between 1945 and 1948, communist governments were set up as puppet and client regimes in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany (Yugoslavia and Albania already got an interim communist government before the war's end). Stalin, who was clinically paranoid by this time, finally died in 1953. After World War II, the Soviet Union had established a military and/or political presence in a number of countries (only Yugoslavia, parts of Albania, eastern Slovakia and parts of eastern Poland were openly backing Communism at the time). After the war, Russia forcibly brought into power various Communist parties who were unswervingly (especially in Poland) loyal to Moscow.

Stalin helped Mao Zedong establish the People's Republic of China and his Communist regime in 1949, which would end in the Cultural Revolution and a 60 year stand-off with Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, S. Korea, The USA and Taiwan. Bulganin era Edit The Soviets retained garrison troops throughout the territories they had occupied. During The Cold War saw these states formed the Warsaw Pact and Comecon, have continuing political and military tensions with the capitalist NATO bloc, in a 50 year stand-off in Europe. Khrushchev era Edit Khrushchev took power and start simultaneous reforms. However, the big loss in war didn't seem to have been fully reverted, and economic poorness began to swallow the nation. In the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, a spontaneous nationwide pro-democracy revolt had occurred and the Soviet Union invaded Hungary to re-assert its control. Brezhnev era In 1968, the USSR repressed the pro-democracy Prague Spring by organizing the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Détente then occurred in several East-West summits between Brezhnev and America's president Nixon.

Gorbachev era Edit By the early 1980s the Soviet economy got a big hit, thus affecting the whole block. In Poland , more than 60% of population lived in poverty, and inflation, measured by black-market rate of the U.S. dollar, was 1,500% in the period 1982 – 1987. Poland later became the cradle of the Revolutions of 1989. Mikhail Gorbachev was elected General Secretary by the Politburo on March 11, 1985, only three hours after Konstantin Chernenko 's death. Upon his accession at age 54, he was the youngest member of the Politburo. Gorbachev's primary goal as General Secretary was to revive the Soviet economy after the stagnant Brezhnev years. The revolutions of 1989-1990 Edit In August 1980 Solidarity was founded in Gdansk after the allowance by the government. In September 20 Inter-factory Founding Committees joined in and become united as the NSZZ Solidarity.

Founder Lech Walesa formed a broad anti - Soviet movement across the nation, from the Catholic Church to the Left. It was supported by the Catholic Church. However The movement was encouraged and supported by the then - Pope John Paul II, who was born in Poland. During the politicaly critical labour turmoil in Poland during 1980, the independent trade union, Solidarity , had been formed. It was led by Lech Wałęsa . On 13 December 1981, Communist leader Wojciech Jaruzelski started a political crack-down on Solidarity as it took off as a protest movement. Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law in Poland , suspending the union and temporarily imprisoning all of its leaders, including Lech Wałęsa . The Communists' two longtime coalition partners broke off and chose to support Solidarity. A new non-Communist government, the first of its kind in the former Eastern Bloc in September 1989. Hungary Edit By 1989, the Soviet Union had repealed the Brezhnev Doctrine in favor of non-intervention in the internal affairs of its Warsaw Pact allies, taking notice from Poland, Hungary was next to follow.

Although Hungary had achieved some lasting economic reforms and limited political liberalization during the 1980s, major new reforms only occurred following the replacement of János Kádár as General Secretary of the Communist Party on 23 May 1988 with Karoly Grosz. On 12 January 1989, Hungary's Parliament adopted a "democracy package", to re-introduce trade union pluralism; freedom of association, assembly, and the press; a new electoral law; and a radical revision of the constitution, among others. The first visible cracks in the Iron Curtain appeared when Hungary began dismantling its 150 mile long border fence with Austria on 2 May 1989. Thousands of E. Germans, Hungarians and Czechoslovaks soon poured in to Austria. Hungary's parliament adopted legislation providing for multi-party part elections and direct multy-party presidential elections, which then took place on March 24, 1990. The Soviet military occupation of Hungary ended on 19 June 1991.

Czechoslovakia Edit The "Velvet Revolution" was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that saw the overthrow of the Communist government. On 17th November 1989. Czechoslovak riot police suppressed a peaceful, pro-democracy student demonstration in Prague. This event sparked a series of popular demonstrations from 19 November to late December and by 20th November the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague had swelled from 200,000 the previous day to an estimated 500,000. The entire Communist Party leadership, including general secretary Miloš Jakeš, resigned November 24th. The border with West Germany and Austria that was closed in November, reopened in early December. 30,000 East Germans would use this route in that time. Czechoslovakia held its first democratic elections since 1946 in the June 1990. On 27 June 1991 the last Soviet troops were withdrawn from Czechoslovakia. The Czech and Slovack republics later seperatied in to new nations soon afterwards.

USSR "Dievs, svētī Latviju" National anthem "God bless Latvia" The Latvian anthem "Dievs, svētī Latviju". The independence struggle began in Kazakhstan with the Jeltoqsan uprising in 1986. The Singing Revolution occurred in the Baltic states between 1987 and 1991. Many people started protesting against the Soviet rule in Georgia in early 1989. In April 1989 the Soviet army massacred demonstrators in the Tbilisi Massacre . By November 1989, the Georgian SSR officially condemned the Russian invasion in 1921 and continuing genocidal occupation of the nation. When the Soviet Union was dissolved, the 19 nations declared their independence from the Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Chechnya, Estonia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Udmurtia, Tartarstan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan by the end of 1991. Chechnya would be at war with Russia for many years to come.

The impact was felt in dozens of Socialist countries.The adoption of varying forms of market economy generally resulted at first in decreasing living standards in post-Communist States, together with side effects including the rise of business oligarchs in countries such as Russia, the disproportional social, socialy skewed economic development and undulating 'boom-bust' type economics in the Ukraine and Latvia. Many states were drastically changed, with numerous Eastern Bloc countries joining NATO , OECD , European Union and numerous other organizations. The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt by Viktor Yanayev made the collapse of the USSR inevitable. The USSR dissolved later in 1991. East Germany Edit On 6 and 7 October, Mikhail Gorbachev visited East Germany to mark the 40th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic, and urged the hard-line East German leadership to accept a level of reform. A famous quote of his is rendered in German as "Wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben" (He who is too late is punished by life). Honecker regarded the USSR as a renegade regime and even went so far as banning the circulation of Soviet publications that the Communit Party (SED) viewed as subversive.

On October 9th 70,000 citizens demonstrated in Leipzig, dispute of rumors of a planned mascare by the army. The authorities on the ground refused to open fire and told there superiors and the communist party to shove off. This had encouraged more and more citizens to take to the streets. By 16 October 120,000 people demonstrated on the streets of Leipzig. There were plans by army chiefs to defend the Berin wall, but troops did not folow there orders and let it fall. Romania Edit After having survived the anti-communist Braşov Rebellion in 1987, Nicolae Ceauşescu was re-elected for another five years as leader of the Romanian Communist Party in November 1989, who did not support reformists or like the idea of democracy in there relm. Ceauşescu ordered the Securitate secret police to arrest and exile the Hungarian Calvinist minister, László Tőkés, on 16 December, for religious sermons offending the atheist regime. The arrest was not easy, since Tőkés was seized only after serious rioting erupted.

Timişoara was the first city to react agaist the arrest, on 16 December, and civil unrest continued across the region for 5 days. After Returning from his diplomatic tour of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ceauşescu ordered a mass rally in his support outside Communist Party headquarters in Bucharest on 21 December. 04:13 Romanian Anthem (with English translation) The Romanian anthem "Deşteaptă-te Române". He was confident of the peoples' adoration, but to his shock and bewilderment, the crowd booed and jeered him as he spoke. Some sung the pre-communist patriotic song "Deşteaptă-te Române" and tore the communist emblem out of the Romanian flag they had with them. As years of repressed dissatisfaction boiled to the surface throughout the Romanian populace, regardless of race or creed, and even among elements in Ceauşescu's own psudo-communist government. The demonstrations qucikly spread throughout the country.

On the morning of 22 December, the Romanian military suddenly changed sides and it's leaders denounced the PCR after after it was announced that defense minister Vasile Milea had committed suicide after being unmasked as a traitor. The militery were shocked to here this. Believing Milea had actually been murdered by the state, the rank-and-file soldiers went over virtually en masse to the revolution. As the rebel army tanks began moving towards the Central Committee building with rebellious crowds swarming alongside them. The rioters forced open the doors of the Central Committee building in an attempt to capture Ceauşescu and his wife, Elena, coming within a few meters of the couple. To the public's dismay, they managed to escape slyly in a private helicopter waiting for them on the building's the roof. Later the piolt later betrayed them to the rebels en flight. Romanian television showed the Ceauşescus facing a hasty trial and then undergoing summary execution on Christmas Day. An interim National Salvation Front Council led by Ion Iliescu took over and announced elections for April 1990, but they were postponed until 20 May. It was the first free elections held in Romania since 1937.

The revolution resulted in 1,104 deaths. Unlike its kindred parties in the Warsaw Pact, the PCR simply melted away; no present-day Romanian party claiming to be its successor has ever been elected to the legislature since the change of system. "Deşteaptă-te Române" became the national anthem. Bulgaria Edit In October and November 1989 ecological demonstrationswere staged in Sofia, where other demands for political reform and democatisation were also voiced. The demonstrations were suppressed by the police on goverment orders, but on 10 November 1989 (also the day after the Berlin Wall was breached) Bulgaria's long-serving leader, Todor Zhivkov, was ousted by his Politburo. He was succeeded by a considerably more liberal Communist, former foreign minister Petar Mladenov. Gorbachev (AKA- Gorba or Gorby) apparently approved the leadership change, as Zhivkov had been opposed to Gorbachev's policies and was dictatorial by nature. Soon the liberals relegalised the protests and relaxed security, secorship and political controle policies.

After initial resistance by the Communists and continued protests, a "Polish Round Table" style coalion was formed between the protesters liberal communists in the transition to democracy. The Communist Party finaly abandoned Marxism-Leninism in April 1990 and renamed itself as the Bulgarian Socialist Party. In June 1990 the first free elections since 1939 were held, won by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Yugoslavia Edit and Tito's democratic communism which was scrapped in Yugoslavia between 1990 and 1992, the latter splitting into five successor states by 1992: Slovenia, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (comprising Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo until the 2006). The escalating ethnic and national tensions led to the Yugoslav wars and the independence of the constituent (federal) units, in chronological order: Slovenia (25 June 1991) Republic of Macedonia (8 September 1991) Bosnia and Herzegovina (1 March 1992) Serbia and Montenegro (2 state unions between 1992–2006).

Montenegro proclaimed independence on 3 June 2006, while Serbia proclaimed its succession to the union as an independent state on 5 June 2006. Kosovo (17 February 2008, partially recognized). Bozneg Hertzog- Edit The widely hated, hard-line Communist era Enva Hoaxa was abandoned in Albania during 1992. It was the last such event in Europe outside the USSR. It started in December 1990 with student demonstrations after theMarch 1991 elections left the former Communists in power. A general strike and urban opposition later led to the formation of a coalition cabinet which included non-Communists members, but Albania's former Communists were routed in elections in March 1992 amid both economic collapse and continued social unrest. At last people could buy oranges and flared trousers went out of fashion. Enva Hoaxa hated oranges and so he banned them, while he loved flairs and thus banned almost all other styles, especially jeans. China Edit New Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping developed the concept of Socialism with Chinese characteristics .

People we ecorraged to do low level free entiprize and be more friendly towards Hong Kong. In December 1986, the Western influenced Chinese student demonstrators, taking advantage of the loosening political atmosphere, staged protests against the slow pace of reform called for campus elections, the chance to study abroad, and greater availability of western pop culture. Hu Yaobang, a protégé of Deng Xiaoping and a leading advocate of Chinese social and political reform, was thus blamed for inspiring the student protests and forced to resign as the CCP General Secretary in January 1987. In the "Anti Bourgeois Liberalization Campaign", Hu would be further denounced by his former peers for bringing "chaos" to the campuses. The protests were sparked by the death of Hu Yaobang on 15 April. By the eve of Hu's funeral, one million peoplehad gathered at Tiananmen square. Soviet President Mikhil Gorbachev 's visit to the People's Republic of China on 15 May during the protests brought many foreign news agencies to Beijing, and their sympathetic portrayals of the protesters helped galvanize a spirit of liberation among the Central, South-East and Eastern Europeans who were watching the events.

The Chinese leadership and especialy the Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, had begun earlier than the Soviets to radically reform the economy, was actually open to political reform, but but was afraid a potential return to the disorder of the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese Sudent Movement lasted 7 weeks, from Hu's death on 15 April until tanks cleared Tiananmen Square on 4 June. In Beijing, the resulting military response to the protesters by the PRC government left many civilians and military personnel charged with clearing the square of the 2,000-2,500 dead and 3,000-5,000 injured. The number of deaths is not known and many different estimates exist. Eyewitness and the reporter Charlie Cole also saw Chinese soldiers firing Type 56 rifles into the crowd near an APC which had just been burnt out. Despite of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, china became a fairly capitalist economy by 2012, but with a lot of state control. Life is very undemocratic, but things are slowly changing.

Mongolia Edit The communist regime ended in the 1990 Mongolian Democratic Revolution and a new constitution was introduced in 1992. The term "People's Republic" was dropped from the country's name in 1992. The transition to market economy in the early 1990s saw high inflation and food shortages. The first electoral win for non-communist parties came in 1993 (presidential elections) and 1996 (parliamentary elections). Congo (Brazzaville) Edit The People's Republic of the Congo was a self-declared Marxist–Leninist socialist state that was established in 1970. It was led by the Congolese Party of Labour (French: Parti congolais du travail, PCT). It existed until 1991, when the country was renamed and the PCT government was eliminated amidst the wave of multiparty reforms that swept Africa in the early 1990s. The country is now a non-communist partial democracy.

Other lands Edit Communism was abandoned in countries such as Cambodia (which became a kingdom), Benin, Angola, Nicaragua, Mozambique, Yugoslavia, Ethiopia and South Yemen (which unified with North Yemen). The collapse of Communism led commentators to declare the end of the Cold War in the early 1990's. Election chronology in Central and Eastern Europe 1989-1991 Edit Between the spring of 1989 and the spring of 1991 every Communist or former communist Central and Eastern European country, and in the case of the USSR and Yugoslavia every constituent republic, held competitive parliamentary elections for the first time in many decades. Some elections were only partly free, others fully democratic. The chronology below gives the details of these historic elections; the date is the first day of voting as several elections were spilt over several days for run-off contests: People's Republic of Angola – The ruling MPLA government abandoned Marxism-Leninism in 1991 and agreed to the Bicesse Accords in the same year, however the Angolan Civil War between the MPLA and the conservative UNITA continued for another decade.

People's Republic of Benin – Mathieu Kérékou 's regime was pressured to abandon Marxism-Leninism in 1990. People's Republic of the Congo – Denis Sassou Nguesso 's regime was pressured to abandon Marxism-Leninism in 1991. The nation had elections in 1992. People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia – A new constitution was implemented in 1987 and, following the withdrawal of Soviet and Cuban assistance, the Communist military junta Derg led by Mengistu Haile Mariam was defeated by the rebel Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in the Ethiopian Civil War and fled in 1991. Democratic Republic of Madagascar – Socialist President Didier Ratsiraka was ousted. Mali – Moussa Traoré was ousted, Mali adopted a new constitution and held multi-party elections. People's Republic of Mozambique– The Mozambican Civil War between the socialist FRELIMO and the RENAMO conservatives was Rome General Peace Accords|ended via treaty in 1992 . FRELIMO subsequently abandoned socialism and with the support of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique, held multiparty elections.

Somali Democratic Republic – Rebelling Somalis overthrew Siad Barre 's Communist military junta during the Somali Revolution . Somalia has been in a constant state of civil war ever since. Tanzania – The ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party cut down its Socialist ideology and foreign donors pressured the government to allow multiparty elections in 1995. Democratic Republic of Afghanistan – Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan|Soviet occupation ended and the Communist government under Mohammad Najibullah fell to the Mujahideen in 1992. The Taliband later took controle and the lost it after the American invasion of 2001. South Yemen – Abandoned Marxism-Leninism in 1990; it reunified with the more capitalist Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) that year, though this later led to a 1994 civil war in Yemen. Syria – Syria participated in the Madrid Conference of 1991 and met its Cold War enemy Israel in peace negotiations. Syria colapsed in to anarchy in 2011.

Burma – The 8888 Uprising in 1988 saw the demise of the Burma Socialist Programme Party , but failed to bring democracy, although Marxism was abandoned. It has since been led by a military government under the State Peace and Development Council . Cambodia – The People's Republic of Kampuchea's Vietnam-supported government , which had been in power since the Cambodian–Vietnamese War|fall of the Khmer Rouge , lost power following UN-sponsored United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia|elections in 1993 . Laos – Remained Communist under the Lao People's Revolutionary Party . Laos was forced to ask France and Japan for emergency assistance, and also to ask the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for aid. Finally, in 1989, Kaisôn visited Beijing to confirm the restoration of friendly relations, and to secure Chinese aid. India – Economic liberalisation in India|Indian economic reforms were launched in 1991. Mongolian People's Republic – The 1990 Democratic Revolution in Mongolia saw a gradual moved to allow free multi-party elections and the writing of the new Constitution of Mongolia|constitution .

The Mongolian People's Party retained its majority in the 1990 elections, but lost the 1996 elections. North Korea – Kim Il-sung died in 1994, passing power to his son Kim Jong-il . Unprecedented floods and the dissolution of the Soviet Union led to the North Korean famine , which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2.5 million to 3 million North Koreans. All references to Marxism-Leninism were replaced by Juche in 1992, thus signifying an apparent downplaying of the role of Communism in North Korea. Vietnam – The Communist Party of Vietnam has undertaken Doi Moi reforms since 1986, liberalizing certain sectors of the economy in a manner similar to China. Vietnam is still a single-party Communist state. Cuba – The end of Soviet subsidies led to the Special Period. The large unsuccessful but August 1994 protest was held in 1994. Cuba has become a semi-captalist polices state closly conected with Venezulea and Iran as of 2005.

Nicaragua – Daniel Ortega 's Sandinista National Liberation Front lost the multi-party elections in 1990, and the National Opposition Union won. Austria – The Communist Party of Austria lost its East German financing and 250 million euros in assets. Belgium – The Communist Party of Belgium was divided to two parties in 1989. Finland – The Finnish People's Democratic League was dissolved in 1990 and the bankrupt Communist Party of Finland collapsed in 1992, and absorbed to the Finland's Left Alliance . France – The collapse of the Eastern Bloc came as a shock to the French Communist Party . The crisis is called la mutation. West Germany – The Red Army Faction lost its long-term supporter, the Stasi , after the Berlin Wall fell. Greece – The Organisation of Marxist-Leninist Communists of Greece was dissolved in 1993 and merged into the Movement for a United Communist Party of Greece . Ireland – The Communist Party of Ireland declined significantly. Italy – The collapse caused the Italian Communist Party to reform itself, creating two new groups, the larger Democratic Party of the Left and the smaller Communist Refoundation Party .

The disappearance of the Communist party in part led to profound changes within the Italian political party system in 1992–1994. Japan – The Japanese Communist Party issued a statement titled "We welcome the end of a great historical evil of imperialism and hegemonism". Malaysia – The Malayan Communist Party laid down its arms in 1989, ending the Communist Insurgency War that had lasted decades. Mexico – The Mexican Communist Party and a number of other Communist parties were dissolved in 1989 and absorbed first into the Mexican Socialist Party and then into the Party of the Democratic Revolution . Netherlands – The Communist Party of the Netherlands was dissolved in 1991 and absorbed to the GreenLeft . Norway – The Communist Party of Norway changed their pro-Soviet line. Palestinian Territories – The Palestine Liberation Organization lost one of its most important diplomatic patrons, due to the deterioration of the Soviet Union, and Arafat's failing relationship with Moscow. Peru – The Shining Path , responsible for killing tens of thousands people, shrunk in the 1990s.

Sweden – The Communist Association of Norrköping was dissolved in 1990 and Kommunistiska Förbundet Marxist-Leninisterna ceased to function as nationwide party. The pro-Albanian Kommunistiska Partiet i Sverige and the Maoist Communist Workers' Party of Sweden were dissolved in 1993. The main leftist party, Vänsterpartiet kommunisterna , VPK (Left Party – Communists), abandoned the Communist part of its name, and became simply Vänsterpartiet (Left Party). Turkey – The Communist Labour Party of Turkey was split in to rival factions United Kingdom – The Communist Party of Great Britain was dissolved. Chile – The military junta under Augusto Pinochet was pressured to implement democratic elections, which saw Chile's Chilean transition to democracy|democratization in 1990. El Salvador – The Salvadoran Civil War ended in 1992 following the Chapultepec Peace Accords . The rebel Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) movement became a legal political party and participated in subsequent elections.

Panama – The Manuel Noriega regime was overthrown by the United States invasion of Panama|US invasion in 1989 as a result of his suppression of elections, drug-trafficking activities and the killing of a US serviceman. South Korea – The June Democracy Movement 's protests led to the fall of the Chun Doo-hwan government in 1987, and the country's first democratic elections. In 2000, North and South Korea agreed in principle to work towards Korean reunification|peaceful reunification in the future. South Africa – Negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa started in 1990 to end the South Africa under apartheid|Apartheid system. Nelson Mandela was elected as the President of South Africa in 1994. Taiwan – The nationalist Kuomintang party that had ruled under strict martial law since the end of the Chinese Civil War introduced democratizing reforms and stoped being so draconian. United States – Following the end of the Cold War , the United States became the world's main superpower, growing even more in world influence as a result.

The United States ceased to support many of the Right-wing military dictatorship|military regimes it had during the Cold War, pressing for more nations to adopt democratic policies. However, some of the groups the United States had previously supported, such as certain factions of the Mujahideen in the Soviet war in Afghanistan, broke their pro-US stances favoring rigid Islamism instead, which would culminate in the 9-11 attacks and War in Afghanistan (2001–present) after the US invasion of Afghanistan . Remembrance

Question: The communist government of which country was overthrown during the Velvet Revolution in 1989?
Answer: Czechoslovakia