1989- 1993 „Now, when your lost government returns your things to you, people, return them to you...“ Lyrics written by Petr Rada to the song Prayer for Marta which became one of the symbols of the so-called Velvet Revolution of 1989 Badge produced in Hungary in December 1989 with a grammatical error in the slogan "Hável for president" Election posters for political parties and movements from the 1990s Election posters for political parties and movements from the 1990s General strike in Brno on 27 November 1989 Information about the establishment of Občanský forum in Brno Newsletter of the Brno Civic Forum T-shirt with picture and inscription "Petr Cibulka - prisoner of conscience" from the late 1980s The dissatisfaction with the communist regime grew in the late 1980s. Citizens had to not only continue to deal with restrictions of their rights and freedoms, but the general falling behind Western Europe was more and more apparent. Compared, for example, with the neighbouring Austria, the standard of living was clearly lower, and health problems associated with environmental damage were growing in industrial areas. However, only moderate criticism of the situation was permitted and could not be directed towards the system as such or specifically against its leaders. The regime was protected not only by its repressive apparatus, but also by a general fear of possible punishment. Activities of the opposition and the number of people willing to be involved in events of the opposition increased in the years 1988-1989. The existing dissidents were joined by others, new citizens’ initiatives were born, there were more and more petitions expressing opposition to the regime and peaceful anti-regime demonstrations began to take place over time. They were suppressed by force. The interventions against a student demonstration on Národní Street in Prague on 17 November 1989 initiated a sharp rise in opposition activities and a rapid fall of the regime. From 20 November, mass anti-regime demonstrations were taking place in larger cities, the striking students and theatres in Prague were joined by their colleagues throughout the country, branches of the Civil Forum, a movement that united the opposition in the Czech lands in the first days of the revolution and led negotiations with the state power, were established. In December 1989, the first non-communist government was appointed and the normalization president Gustáv Husák was replaced by dissident Václav Havel at the end of the year. In June 1990, the first free parliamentary elections were held, and the first free general elections took place in the autumn of the same year. Intensive negotiations regarding the future organisation of the state were held in the first months after November 1989. Disagreements between the Czech and Slovak representations gradually introduced the possibility to divide the state into the general discussions. Demands to change the position of Moravia appeared after the Velvet Revolution. Great support was given to the idea of restoring the Moravian-Silesian land or another solution that would give autonomy to Moravia and the Czech Silesia, whether within the Czech part of the federation or in the form of a return to the idea of a tri-federation. The Movement for Autonomous Democracy - Association for Moravia and Silesia - succeeded significantly mainly in the 1990 elections. However, the growing tensions in the Czech-Slovak relationships eventually did not favour such efforts. The fall of the regime opened up the possibility to travel and many residents had the opportunity to see the reality of Western Europe with their own eyes. Thousands of people set off on shopping trips or to explore countries which were difficult to travel for an ordinary citizen until then. The overall orientation of the state was also changing, mainly the previous cooperation with the Soviet Union was replaced by orientation towards the Western structures. Dealing with the past was a major issue. Although the previous regime was defeated, the question was whether and how its representatives should be punished and whom to actually consider being the culprit. The Communist Party was not banned or dissolved, it was expected to see whether it distances itself from its past. Lustrations aimed against people connected to the State Secret Security eventually became a symbol. The first months were in many ways marked by considerable euphoria and highly positive expectations. Gradually, however, first disappointments appeared among them. Some requirements were not met, while others led to endless negotiations. In some cases, people began to link the success of individuals in the economic sphere to fraud or corruption. The standard of living was not growing as fast as many people expected. The post-revolutionary developments gradually began to divide the residents into winners and losers. Return of Democracy Studentské mlýny (Student Mills), magazine of the coordinating strike committee of Brno universities, issue number 0, December 1989 Program Objectives of the Society for Moravia and Silesia, Charter for Moravia, January 1990