Events

Velvet Revolution

Citation Formats

General Reference

Political Atlas. "Velvet Revolution." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://political.interactiveatlas.org/events/velvet-revolution.

APA Style

Political Atlas. (n.d.). Velvet Revolution. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://political.interactiveatlas.org/events/velvet-revolution

BibTeX

@misc{politicalatlas-velvet-revolution,
  author = {Political Atlas},
  title = {Velvet Revolution},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://political.interactiveatlas.org/events/velvet-revolution},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Nonviolent transition from communist rule in Czechoslovakia in November and December 1989, beginning with a police crackdown on a student demonstration in Prague on 17 November and escalating into nationwide strikes and mass protests coordinated by the Civic Forum opposition movement. The Communist Party leadership resigned within weeks, and playwright and dissident Vaclav Havel was elected president by the federal assembly on 29 December 1989. The name distinguished its bloodless character from the region's other 1989 revolutions.

Facts

Year

1989 1

Location

Czechoslovakia, with mass demonstrations centered in Prague's Wenceslas Square. 1

Sources

1. Velvet Revolution (Britannica)

Encyclopaedia BritannicaView the Source

Velvet Revolution (Wikipedia)

Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening paragraph

Quote, Lead section, opening paragraph

The Velvet Revolution was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989.

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