Among the folds of the history of the end of the Eastern Bloc lies the non-violent dissidence of men like Václav Havel. As the Berlin Wall fell and the ideology of the Soviet system crumbled along with the bricks and mortar, this intellectual and liberal playwright became president of Czechoslovakia. Havel first held office from 1989 to 1992, being reelected for two terms as president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003.
Forty years after the publication in Italy of Havel’s book The Power of the Powerless, and 30 years after his election as president of Czechoslovakia, there are lessons still relevant today about the relationships between politics and power, between personal responsibility and the (re)construction of civil society, and between the truth and the lies of ideologies.[1]
This article is reserved for paid subscribers. Please subscribe to continue reading this article
Subscribe
The most respected digital Catholic journal from Rome. A must-read on all the present issues alive in the Church. Discover top Church scholars interpreting the history, politics, culture, science and art in the light of the Christian faith.
© Union of Catholic Asian News 2022 | All Rights Reserved.
Except for any fair dealing permitted under the Hong Kong Copyright Ordinance, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior permission.
