Making History: Czech Voices of Dissent and the Revolution of 1989

In December 1989, VOclav Havel and a relatively small group of intellectuals and students brought about the collapse of the communist regime of Czechoslovakia in what is now known as the Velvet Revolution. Making History: Czech Voices of Dissent and the Revolution of 1989 brings together the personal narratives of eleven former dissidents who, though close associates of Havel, operated without his international celebrity. The narratives, based on interviews conducted by the author in Prague and Berlin, relate each individual’s personal experiences on topics such as growing up in Czechoslovakia, life as a dissident, the Velvet Revolution, and the achievements and failures of the Czech Republic since 1989. Through their many voices we come to understand that the life of a dissident is one of hardship, uncertainty, and constant surveillance; yet at the same time life in the underground allows a certain degree of freedom unattainable in official society. For more information about the book, please visit Michael Long’s website.