All tagged velvet revolution

INTERVIEW: Timothy Garton Ash on Slovakia: “You are now leading the way in Central Europe”

Michal Micovčin

1989 and the Crisis of the Post-Wall World was the title of the lecture that was given by Professor Timothy Garton Ash from the University of Oxford. During his recent stay in Slovakia, he participated at the International Conference on November 89: 30 Years After, which was held at Comenius University and organized by the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Il Ponte was lucky enough to take part in this event and conduct an interview with Prof. Garton Ash. The given interview was done after the 30-year commemoration of the fall of the Berlin Wall and prior to that of the start of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia.

30 years after: revolution unfinished

Peter Sterančák

The revolution is like drinking too much vodka. The first few shots are hopeful – even euphoric. The world seems to be in equilibrium with your improving mood – ready for a personal revolution, everything seems bright and shining, solutions seem easy and within a grasp of another shot of vodka. Then, as the ethanol in your veins increases in amount, things start to look blurry and incomprehensible.

Thank you!

Jonáš Jánsky

On this day 30 years ago, the police of Czechoslovakia’s communist regime has used violence in order to suppress a student demonstration that has started as a celebration of the international students' day. The protesters started to demand from the government to uphold the human rights of all citizens, the freeing of political prisoners, as well as dialogue between the government and various independent initiatives. Due to that, the police tried to dissolve the demonstration.