Today, January 1st our stupendous group of educators led by Eva, a local, helped us delve into the sights and history in the heart Prague. We started our exploration outside the Národní Museum looking over Wenceslas Square, moving toward Lucerna Palace, then onto the Velvet Revolution Monument followed by the overwhelming infrastructure surrounding Old Town Square made up of Jan Hus Monument, Church of Our Lady before Týn, and the Old Town Hall, ending at the Powder Tower.
While admiring the Velvet Revolution Monument Eva elaborated upon the movement. On November 17, 1989, 400 students were granted to congregate in order to honor the 50th anniversary of the killings of Prague student protesters by the Nazi Regime. 400 students did not show up but 80,000 did with this force the group decided to leave their restricted location and head towards the Wenceslas Square. Quickly though riot police formed restricting their access to the square. Students responded to the previous impediment by sitting down on the streets and continued to protest the communistic regime of Czechoslovakia. Although police beat protesters and used water cannons there were no deaths and was largely considered a peaceful protest. Fast-forwarding a little over a month on December 29 the downfall of communism in Czechoslovakia was completed and so commenced the beginning of democracy.
PLU/PSY387 Transitions & Trauma 