Existing comment:
MASS DEMONSTRATIONS
The initial demonstrations quickly emboldened Czechs and Slovaks. After November 22, hundreds became thousands in mass demonstrations that began in Bratislava (Slovakia) and soon spread to other cities.
Each city's meetings had a local character yet universal features, starting with an overview of recent political developments. Public Against Violence (VPN) representatives were warmly supported by attendees and spoke about the ongoing demonstrations. Celebrities and social representatives often spoke at meetings in order to increase visibility and interested. They joined VPN calls for action. Special attention was given to workers' representatives, which the regime had considered all-weather supporters until the tide had resolutely turned. Although Communist Party representatives were often invited on stage, few had the courage to face the negative responses and whistles from the thousands gathered.
As demonstrator numbers increased relative to how quickly information spread about the revolutionary events, the media became a pivotal issue for the opposition. November 24 was a breakthrough moment, when representatives of both the Communist Party and VPN had a live television debate from Bratislava's Studio Dialogue. It was the first live broadcast in Czechoslovakia where representatives of the all-powerful state party shared a platform with opposition figures. Meetings also began to be broadcast live, and the press slowly broke free of the Communist Party's censorship shackles. Students and actors who visited towns and villages to inform residents of the latest national developments played a key role. News was also spread by the VPN-published Verejnosť newspaper, as well as the 'samizdat' widely distributed among demonstrators.
After December 1989, mass demonstrations were no longer every day but only on key occasions or when an important opposition demand needed to muster support. A national general strike took place on November 27, and large demonstrations also greeted the new government's 15: 5 ratio in favor of communist members: the opposition threatened another general strike unless the government resigned and Gustáv Husák withdrew as president. |