"The Velvet Revolution in November 1989 brought about the collapse of the authoritarian communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia, marking the beginning of the country's journey towards democracy. Though the political leaders of the Velvet Revolution have spoken about the transition to democracy, ordinary people's experiences have largely gone untold. In Velvet Revolutions, Miroslav Vanĕk and Pavel Mücke shine a light on everyday men and women who lived under so-called "real socialism", exploring how their values changed after the 1989 collapse. Based on 300 oral history interviews, noted Czech historians Vanĕk and Mücke give voice to everyone from farmers to managers, service workers to marketing personnel, manual laborers to members of the armed forces. Compelling and intimate, these grassroots histories touch upon the experience--and absence--of freedom, the value of family and friends, education and work, how people enjoyed their free time, participated in politics, and perceived foreign nations. Data from opinion polls conducted between 1970 and 2013 inform the book's analysis, offering for the first time in English a well-rounded view of the ways popular thought, trends, and attitudes changed as Czech society made the transition from Communism to democracy. From this rich foundation, Velvet Revolutions builds a multi-layered account of Czech history before 1989 and during the often difficult democratic transformation"--. "The Velvet Revolution in November 1989 brought about the collapse of the authoritarian communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia, marking the beginning of the country's journey towards democracy. Though the political leaders of the Velvet Revolution have spoken about the transition to democracy, ordinary people's experiences have largely gone untold. In Velvet Revolutions, Miroslav Vanĕk and Pavel Mücke shine a light on everyday men and women who lived under so-called "real socialism", exploring how their values changed after the 1989 collapse. Based on 300 oral history interviews, noted Czech historians Vanĕk and Mücke give voice to everyone from farmers to managers, service workers to marketing personnel, manual laborers to members of the armed forces. Compelling and intimate, these grassroots histories touch upon the experience--and absence--of freedom, the value of family and friends, education and work, how people enjoyed their free time, participated in politics, and perceived foreign nations. Data from opinion polls conducted between 1970 and 2013 inform the book's analysis, offering for the first time in English a well-rounded view of the ways popular thought, trends, and attitudes changed as Czech society made the transition from Communism to democracy. From this rich foundation, Velvet Revolutions builds a multi-layered account of Czech history before 1989 and during the often difficult democratic transformation"-- Provided by publisher.

Acknowledgements: The Privilege of Listening to the Voices of Memory -- 1. I Want to be Free! : Civil and Political Rights -- 2. Transforming the Family in Socialism -- 3. Friends and Others : How Czechs Evaluate Foreigners and Foreign Countries -- 4. Education---Gateway to Success -- 5. From Mandatory Employment to Unemployment -- 6. The Meaning of Free Time : Work, Family, and Leisure -- 7. Us and Them -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1: Photographs by Jindřich Štreit -- Appendix 2: Our Narrators.