In Prague, they say the turning point was heralded by the jangling of key rings. On Nov. 25, 1989, Czech students staged a massive protest in Prague Stadium, in an attempt to oust the Soviet Communist government and spread a message of anti-Communist revolution through the only free medium available - open air. Thousands upon thousands of students and actors crammed into a space less than half the size of the Washington Mall and shouted anti-Communist slogans. Someone had the idea to take out their ring of keys and jangle them, perhaps after their voice went hoarse, but soon, the entire stadium was transformed by the sound of five hundred thousand rattling keys.
Two days later, the Communists were out.
In my semester of studying Central Europe while in Central Europe, I heard a number of incredible stories about revolution. The Czech Republic and the majority of the surrounding countries were forcibly made part of the Soviet Union, including Poland, East Germany, and Hungary. Each of these aforementioned countries has a unique story about their liberation from the Soviets, and each is immortalized in Timothy Garton Ash's excellent-if-flawed book The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague.
Ash's book was required reading for my Secular History of Central Europe course (not to be confused with the Jewish History of Central Europe course), and it was useful, accessible, and enjoyable. However, Ash was an on-the-ground journalist at the time of his writings, and his scope is understandably narrow. And, until now, I hadn't thought to ponder the other countries that declared independence from the Soviet rule.
For example, it had not occurred to me to think about Estonia.
The link that is posted at the top of this entry, I found by accident on a friend's blog. It's a link to a movie trailer, a documentary by Americans James Trusty and Maureen Castle Trusty, called The Singing Revolution. The first blurb on the movie's website reads:
Most people don’t think about singing when they think about revolution. But song was the weapon of choice when Estonians sought to free themselves from decades of Soviet occupation. "The Singing Revolution" is an inspiring account of one nation’s dramatic rebirth. It is the story of humankind’s irrepressible drive for freedom and self-determination.
I'm too tired to end this entry gracefully, but I'll leave you all with a question to ponder:
If 500,000 people with key rings, or a million people willing to sing together can end a government's reign in multiple countries, then how much would it take to stop a war? End Bush's administration? Reconsider a destructive policy? Make the smallest positive change in the world?
If they could do it...
