Dag Daniš on successes of the Velvet Revolution and the goals of today

The Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989 may have done away with the ideology of dialectical materialism, but the time has now come to fight capitalist materialism, writes Dag Daniš in the left-leaning daily Pravda: "What we experienced in those November days was fantastic, and of enormous importance. It brought out the very best in people: courage, idealism, strength ... and a longing for justice, decency and freedom. ... Twenty years later we know that November was a success. Its immediate goals were achieved astonishingly fast. The monopoly of the Communist Party was destroyed and physical, political and spiritual borders were opened. ... If November failed anywhere it was concerning romantic expectations, but that can be accepted. The Revolution changed much, but not people's behaviour. One old enemy remained: materialism. No longer dialectical, but capitalist. Nevertheless we've got plenty of time to fight against that. History didn't end in 1989, but since then we've once more regained control over it."

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