The commemoration of the Velvet Revolution this November has become more than a retrospective celebration. As tens of thousands of Czech and Slovak citizens gathered on the anniversary, their voices calling out perceived democratic backsliding and warning of renewed authoritarian tendencies resonated with the words of Czech author David Ondráčka, who described 1989 as “an uprising of people who said enough”. This framing invites us to analyse not simply what happened thirty‐plus years ago but how that moment still influences political agency, institutional fragility and civic vigilance today.
Citizen Power and the Roots of Legitimate Change
Ondráčka’s emphasis on collective will shifts the spotlight from political elites to ordinary citizens. In fact, survey data indicates roughly 62 % of Czechs view the Velvet Revolution primarily as a broad society-wide movement rather than the product of small dissident groups. This illustrates that sustainable change often begins when a critical mass of people decides that the existing order is no longer tolerable. That lesson remains crucial in 2025, as public demonstrations show that citizens still consider themselves the ultimate guardians of freedom, not just participants in institutional politics.
Transition Versus Transformation
While the fall of communism in 1989 is rightly celebrated, the decades that followed remind us that a revolution does not conclude with regime change. Although early post-1989 years were seen by many Czechs as positive, societal attitudes turned more ambivalent in later years, with fewer people confident that the country was improving. This indicates that the real work begins after the symbolic moment: establishing transparent institutions, nurturing civic trust and delivering social equity. The 2025 protests reflect this ongoing challenge, they are not simply about remembering 1989 but about demanding that the values born in that uprising continue to be realised.
Memory as Active, Not Passive
The phrase “people who said enough” captures an emotional truth, and this memory functions as more than nostalgia, it remains a civic standard. Commemorations this year saw demonstrators in Prague and Bratislava brandish the colours of the Czech, EU and Ukrainian flags while condemning political developments they believe threaten democratic alignment. But the reverence for past victory coexists with anxiety about unfulfilled promises: some surveys show that nearly half of Czechs believe the aspiration of “returning to Europe” has not been fully achieved. Hence, the memory of 1989 serves as both inspiration and a mirror reflecting the gap between ideals and current realities.
A New Political Climate, Familiar Warnings
The 2025 anniversary: thousands rallied in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia raising concerns about pro-Russian stances, curbs on media independence and threats to democratic norms. Slovak protesters chastised Prime Minister Robert Fico for policies that they believe mirror the authoritarian past, while Czech crowds booed potential governing figures accused of ties to the former regime. By invoking the spirit of 1989, citizens today are signaling that the question remains as relevant as ever: when the people say “enough,” will institutions listen, and will the democratic order respond?
A Final Note
In describing the Velvet Revolution as a surge of collective refusal, Ondráčka invites us to view 1989 not as a remote historic event but as an enduring standard: when systemic power stops listening, ordinary people can, and must, step forward. The 2025 protests reveal that for Czech democracy the revolution is not behind us but within us: alive in civic action, demanding vigilance, and shaping the shape of tomorrow just as much as it did the past.
