| 1968 - 1998 |
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Speaking from his hospital bed on the eve of the 30th anniversary of
the suppression of the Prague Spring, president Havel recalled the
euphoria of the democratization movement which united the country and
praised the resistance of the population against the Soviet-led
occupation.
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"The Prague Spring was indeed set in motion as a result of conflict
between two cliques in the communist party - the conservative and pro-
reform groups -from which the pro-reform group emerged victorious,
Havel said. But this conflict did not just drop from the sky, it was
the culmination of a drawn-out crisis which had bubbled under the
surface since the late 50s and 60s, a gradual cultural, spiritual and
moral renaissance... which demanded respective changes in government.
It was a joyful period for me personally, because after 20 years one was able to breathe freely and talk freely, the president continued. Naturally we were aware of the political dilemmas this brought about, but it was a time of hope and I think that nobody who lived at the time will ever forget it." When the Soviet-led occupation dashed these hopes on August 21st, the crushing of the Prague Spring revealed a remarkable phenomenon. The fact that unarmed civilians could, for the brief space of one week, actually paralyse a powerful army.This is a phenomenon worthy of analysis, especially the role of the media which organized and coordinated the week of passive resistance, the president pointed out. "Well and finally, the Prague Spring was of great international significance, perceived abroad as an important milestone on the road of communist opposition. For the Soviet-led invasion laid bare the true character of this totalitarian system for all the world to see. People around the world, and the intelligentsia in particular, were influenced by what they witnessed and it formed their actions for years to come", the Czech president concluded. |
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