Former Czech President Vaclav Havel It left behind a distinct political, philosophical and artistic legacy. Kieran Williams His words still hold great meaning, but he writes of having to read, re-read, and sometimes grapple with a text that seeks to unsettle him.
Central Europe recently marked the 35th anniversary of the 1989 revolution that ended communist rule. Such moments provide an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of one of the figures most associated with the event: Václav Havel (1936-2011).
In his case, it is more appropriate to speak of three legacies rather than one, reflecting different aspects of his public life. philosophical legacy from pre-1989 dissident activities; And he left an artistic legacy as a playwright throughout his adult life.
Havel’s political legacy
Havel left behind no political party of his own, and the Green Party, which he supported at the time of his death, has been withdrawn from the Czech parliament since 2010. Instead, he used the presidential platform to advocate for democracy, human rights, and civil society. , environmental awareness, European integration and spiritual renewal. These values continue to be promoted through the two institutions he founded: the Václav Havel Library and Forum 2000.
The Czech Republic faces legislative elections later this year, and one of the divisions separating the political parties and voters is where they stand in relation to Havel. The current government’s center-right parties (and President Petr Pavel, who will be elected in 2023) can be said to be supportive of Havel, especially in international relations.
The government program pledged to respect the “traditions of Havel’s foreign policy,” which partly explains the Czech Republic’s enthusiastic support for Ukraine and Taiwan. The agenda for the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2022 is modeled on Havel’s 1996 speech “Europe as a Task”. Havel was also cited as a role model by Zuzana čaputová, President of Slovakia from 2019 to 2024.
Like the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Havel felt he had to use his office to tell the country the hard truth, and like Carter, he had his detractors and admirers. Although Havel’s standing in public opinion has risen since his death, he remains dismissed or hated among supporters of the two parties that could form the next government: former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s populist Action for Discontent (ANO) and the far-right Freedom Party. . and the Direct Democratic Party (SPD). Even if Pavel remains president until at least 2028, the ANO-SPD government will be a much bigger departure from Havel’s legacy than the first Babiš government (ANO in a minority coalition with the Social Democrats).
Havel’s philosophical legacy
Globally, Havel is one of the Soviet bloc’s most prominent dissidents, better known for his role as former president. His involvement in groups such as Charter 77, essays such as “The Power of the Powerless” (1978), his spell in prison (and the letters he wrote there), and his role in the peaceful end of communist rule continue to be an inspiration. is giving. Activists for democracy and human rights around the world. Since 2013, courageous activists have been recognized by the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize awarded by the Council of Europe.
The fact that 2024 winner María Corina Machado was unable to receive the award in person because she was in hiding from the Venezuelan regime, and that six of the 11 previous winners were in prison at the time of the ceremony, highlights the dire possibilities for nonviolent movements. Today it faces resistance. Over the past two decades, authoritarian states have become more adept at fending off challenges, especially by twisting the Internet to their own ends.
On social media, Havel’s carefully crafted thoughts are reduced to cliché aphorisms, especially his 1989 catchphrase: “Truth and love must trump lies and hate.” And in English-speaking countries, some conservative intellectuals have seized on the famous illustration of the greengrocer in Havel’s “Lord of the Powerless.” As if to imply that today’s culture war critics equate “woke” policies with Cold War era dissidents. In this environment, Havel’s philosophical legacy runs the risk of being reduced to cliché or parody.
Havel’s artistic legacy
Going back further in time, Havel was a playwright before he became a dissident. It was thanks to his success in theater that he began writing letters of protest to communist leaders 50 years ago. And the genius of his art was that he produced 18 tragic plays with an uncanny knack for being reinterpreted to suit changing circumstances.
Even Havel’s early or less famous plays can speak to the current crisis, be it “Garden Party” (1963), which follows an ambitious young man through the government’s liquidation department. “Increasing Difficulty of Concentrating” (1968), which depicts sexual abuse and the use of artificial intelligence to assess human personality; “The Conspirators” (1971) sees a fearsome dictator plot to return to power. “The Beggar’s Opera” (1972), which blurs the political and criminal worlds; or “Leaving” (2007), a painful expose of political narcissism.
After leaving office, Havel lamented the paradox that the more famous he became, the less able he was to use that fame to shock audiences into carrying out the “existential revolution” he said the world needed. As the years passed, he risked the fate of men like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Through their deaths, they are transformed into revered but non-threatening icons (or, in Havel’s case, vulgar memes). Havel’s works and words still carry great meaning, but they need to be read and re-read, sometimes grappling with a text that seeks to unsettle them.
For more on Havel’s legacy, see the essays co-edited by the author and David S. Danaher. Meaning of Václav Havel: his key words and his legacy (Carolina Press, 2024).
Note: This article gives the views of the author and not the position of EUROPP (European Politics and Policy) or the London School of Economics. Featured image source: Marcin Kadziolka / Shutterstock.com
