A 1989 student protest in Prague sparked a peaceful revolution that ended communism
What began as a peaceful student march in Prague to honor a martyr became the catalyst for the Velvet Revolution, a remarkably non-violent movement that dismantled decades of communist rule in Czechoslovakia.
On November 17, 1989, police violently suppressed a peaceful student demonstration in Prague, sparking an immediate national outcry. Within days, hundreds of thousands of citizens filled the streets, led by playwright Václav Havel and the Civic Forum. This massive display of popular will forced the Communist Party to relinquish its monopoly on power without a single shot being fired.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 3-question quiz