Civic Forum
Encyclopedia
The Civic Forum was a political movement in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia
, established during the Velvet Revolution
in 1989. The corresponding movement in Slovakia
was called Public Against Violence
(Slovak
: Verejnosť proti násiliu - VPN).
The Civic Forum's purpose was to unify the anti-authoritarian forces in Czechoslovakia
and to overthrow the communist regime. In this, they succeeded and Václav Havel
, its leader and founder, was elected president on December 29, 1989. Although the Forum did not have a clear political strategy beyond the June 1990 elections, it campaigned successfully in March and April 1990 and managed to win more than 80 percent of the vote in the first free elections in Czechoslovakia since 1946.
The Civic Forum had a very loose structure, and most of its (self-appointed) leaders came from Prague
-based members of the Charter 77
dissident movement. In December 1989, Jan Urban became the Forum's chairman after Havel's election as president. Urban served until June 1990, when he resigned, stating he did not want a rift between the organization and the president. On October 16, 1990, Václav Klaus
was elected its new chairman. Klaus's policies were opposed by other leading figures within the Forum and party unity soon vanished.
At the Civic Forum congress in January 1991, Klaus's supporters declared that they would form an independent party - Občanská demokratická strana (Civic Democratic Party) - with a clearer program advocating a free market. The party elected Klaus as its chairman in February 1991. Klaus then stated that the ODS and the Civic Movement (Občanské hnutí, the party formed by the remainder of Civic Forum's members and led by federal minister of foreign affairs Jiří Dienstbier
) would rule as a coalition until the 1992 elections. However, by July 1991 Klaus declared the inter-party cooperation over. The Civic Democratic Party was victorious in the elections of 1992 while the Civic Movement failed to reach the 5% threshold to enter parliament and eventually disappeared.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, established during the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in 1989. The corresponding movement in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
was called Public Against Violence
Public Against Violence
The Public Against Violence was a political movement that was established in Bratislava, Slovakia on 20 November 1989. It was the Slovak counterpart of the Czech Civic Forum ....
(Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
: Verejnosť proti násiliu - VPN).
The Civic Forum's purpose was to unify the anti-authoritarian forces in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and to overthrow the communist regime. In this, they succeeded and Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
, its leader and founder, was elected president on December 29, 1989. Although the Forum did not have a clear political strategy beyond the June 1990 elections, it campaigned successfully in March and April 1990 and managed to win more than 80 percent of the vote in the first free elections in Czechoslovakia since 1946.
The Civic Forum had a very loose structure, and most of its (self-appointed) leaders came from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
-based members of the Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
dissident movement. In December 1989, Jan Urban became the Forum's chairman after Havel's election as president. Urban served until June 1990, when he resigned, stating he did not want a rift between the organization and the president. On October 16, 1990, Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
was elected its new chairman. Klaus's policies were opposed by other leading figures within the Forum and party unity soon vanished.
At the Civic Forum congress in January 1991, Klaus's supporters declared that they would form an independent party - Občanská demokratická strana (Civic Democratic Party) - with a clearer program advocating a free market. The party elected Klaus as its chairman in February 1991. Klaus then stated that the ODS and the Civic Movement (Občanské hnutí, the party formed by the remainder of Civic Forum's members and led by federal minister of foreign affairs Jiří Dienstbier
Jiří Dienstbier
Jiří Dienstbier was a Czech politician and journalist. He was one of Czechoslovakia's most respected foreign correspondent before being fired after the Prague Spring. Unable to have a livelihood as a journalist, he worked as a janitor for the next two decades...
) would rule as a coalition until the 1992 elections. However, by July 1991 Klaus declared the inter-party cooperation over. The Civic Democratic Party was victorious in the elections of 1992 while the Civic Movement failed to reach the 5% threshold to enter parliament and eventually disappeared.