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...
5 comments:
If yr interested in the link between music & revolutions, also consider the role of gospel music in the US Black Civil Rights mvt, of secularized gospel music in the US union labor mvt, of Swahili chants in the mvt to end apartheid in South Africa, etc.
As far as "what would it take ..."
1) How many people are in Estonia? Not many, I think. 500,000 is a lot there, right? 500,000 is not so many in a country the size of the US. Which is one reason that large democracies are unwieldy and often not so democratic.
2) It's very lovely that the Communist party left two days later, but actually, it wasn't because of the jangling key rings, right? I bet a mvt had been building on various levels for a long time. These events are nice markers, but they are almost never the thing that changes everything.
3) Ppl have been asking similar questions relative to historic protests against the Vietnam war - e.g. "Why were people flooding the streets then, and now we're just sitting here taking it?" In fact people did not "flood the streets" until years into the Vietnam war. Earlier, being against the war was very much a minority opinion. On the day the US invasion of Iraq started, there were as many people protesting throughout the US as there were at the height of the Vietnam war protests. But one big protest never does it. It's always a sustained movement, or several intersecting movements. And it usually takes a really really long time.
Now, polls show many more people against the war than were against it that first day. But it took them a while to get it. At first, lots of people were thinking with their fear, & very much willing to go along with the war.
So, what will it take? I'll offer one suggestion. It's from a bumper sticker, but it's pretty good as far as one-liners go.
"I'm already against the next war."
I agree with you on a number of counts, but would point out one thing: the movement to oust the Soviets in the Czech Republic had been around for decades, but was utterly silent. There had been a few individuals who had taken public action, like Jan Palach, a student who protested by setting himself on fire and killing himself in the public Vaclavske Namesti (Wenceclas Square) in 1969.
But that protest didn't have the support of "the moment" or any movement in particular. Palach didn't claim membership to any of the student protest organizations before he died, and certainly didn't do it in the name of a movement.
The "movement", as it were, didn't actually gain public traction until Poland ousted their government, just barely a year before the Czechs did it. Until then, it was all private; protesters who didn't commit suicide often disappeared after their protest anyhow.
And when the movement started acting publicly (see The Magic Lantern for well-written details - just the Prague chapter is enough, about 75 pages), it was a brand new coalition that hadn't been connected before 88 or 89.
Dane - very nice post (and I did read it whilst in Paris, but did not have time to comment).
Czechoslovakia, however, was not "forcibly made part" of the Soviet Union; it was rather occupied by the Soviet Union for over 21 years. A rather technical point, I realise, but I can't help it - I'm pedantic.
I think your question is perfect. It really makes you wonder. As Davey pointed out, 500,000 people or a million people is a lot more in Estonia than in the US, but Davey didn't take into consideration the difference in the levels of freedom and the ease with which people might be able to demonstrate and force change.
The problem in The Amerika, Dane, is that the country is no longer what it was, no longer what it is still trying to appear to be, and is more of a fascist dictatorship than anyone wants to believe. Are you familiar with Eisenhower's farewell address to the American people (upon the completion of his presidency)? In it he warned of the military-industrial complex (now more aptly referred to as the military-corporate complex), amongst other things. If you don't know it, please read it or listen to it. I think you will find it enlightening.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html
And of course I screwed up the link. Try this one for the text:
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/ike.htm
The link in my previous comment should finish with this:
dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html
^ Fascist dictatorship? That's when the Republicans had control over both the Presidency and the Congress. It ended (in my perspective) after the campaign to "get the vote out" that encouraged more people to register and vote (of course partly motivated by the war in Iraq). Now I don't feel like America's the same country as it was before 9/11, even with the Democrats in the Congress.
Even the WWII generation are unhappy with the way things have turned out in the last 60 years because democracy was not the same as they fought in the war.
Back to your post, Dane. I think that this is excellent! I do ponder over just how effective those rallies are in pulling out of the war back in 2003 and 2004- they worked to some extent... but they were angry, not joyous in reminder of the democracy. There's also the question of the proportion of the protesters in relative to the entire population. Hmmm... how do we recruit at least 150 million out of 300 million?
Also, I can relate a bit about Berlin too.
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