Czech Velvet Revolution vs. Ukrainian Maidan

It would have been worth sending our home-bred admirers of the Soviet past to Prague on November 17 — not for the sake of showing them the advantages of the “capitalist paradise” but, just the other way round, to let them enjoy the socialist past, for which they are so nostalgic.

According to media reports, the Prague authorities decided to mark the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia on November 17 by treating the public to a a very peculiar reminder of the old days. Prague residents had the opportunity of rummaging through the local stores in search of goods in short supply and standing in long lines to get foods at “socialist” prices and, I would add, their share of humiliation from sales clerks. However, on second thought, a typical salesperson in Czechoslovakia might have been a paragon of good manners even back then.

Our readers will remember that on November 17, 20 years ago, the police blocked a peaceful student demonstration in Prague. After that popular riots broke out in the country, which resulted in the Communists being stripped of power. The first democratic election in 40 years took place ensued.

After a peaceful divorce three years after the Velvet Revolution, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have now come to enjoy EU and NATO membership. Despite all their problems, they are making steady and confident progress, raising the well-being of their citizens. Their Velvet Revolution is now another symbol of change in Europe, together with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

I have to admit that even in communist times Czech beer was cool. It always stood for high quality, and when our beer drinkers succeeded in securing a couple of bottles, they could judge with their own palate to what extent it differed from the swill labeled “Zhigulevskoe” — perhaps, the only Soviet brand.

However, in other respects there used to be little difference between Czechoslovakia and us — we were just two communist countries. The only difference lay perhaps in their ability to protest openly. They rebelled as far back as in 1968, because they would no longer obey the Big Brother in Moscow. Today, we can only envy them.

In the mid-1990s, in Prague, I met with Waclaw Havel, who was then the president of the country. A former human rights activist, he chain-smoked and drawled as he spoke convincingly of the reforms and the nation’s progress towards European integration. He also said that this course was due to the will of the entire nation, rather than the elite alone. In a couple of years, the Czech Republic would join the NATO and later the EU.

Back in 1989, Czechoslovakia and Ukraine were moving along at virtually the same pace. In September 1989, the People’s Movement (Narodny Rukh) was created in Kyiv, a mass organization which later became the most ardent champion of the idea of Ukraine’s independence. If we had done more than formally declaring our independence and kept pace with the Czechs and Slovaks, today Ukraine would be a member of both the EU and NATO with all the associated advantages.

Yes, today there is Czech beer galore at our stores. Moreover, we have learned to brew our own beer of such good quality that it is shipped to many countries of the world. Our stores are packed with goods, and yet we’re not happy with life. We are still the descendants of Homo Sovieticus, deprived of rights and initiative. We are very slow in learning to stand up for our own rights and interests. Procuring beer turned out to be much easier than changing our mentality. And the Maidan has failed to become another Velvet Revolution.