Vaclav Havels New Years Address to the Nation (1990) - Report Example

of the Political Science of the Concerned 15 April Speech Analysis of Vaclav Havel’s New Year’s Address to the Nation (1990) There is no doubt that the selected speech, which is Vaclav Havel’s New Year’s address to the nation in the year 1990 happens to be a really important speech for a number of reasons. In the given speech, Vaclav Havel, who happened to be the last president of Czechoslovakia addressed a nation that was set to make a new beginning in more than one way. It does need to be mentioned that Vaclav Havel happened to be a noteworthy thinker, playwright, political philosopher and an avid political activist. On 29 December 1989, Vaclav Havel was elected to be the first President of a post-communist Czechoslovakia. The given speech happened to be Havel’s New Year’s address to a nation that like many other nations of Eastern Europe had opted for a change. In a political context, a change of regime is accompanied by an array of possibilities and apprehensions. Going by the fact that Vaclav Havel was elected to be the President of the post-communist Czechoslovakia by the Federal Assembly, the whole nation looked towards him with hope and expectation. The Czechoslovakia which Vaclav Havel was required to lead, happened to be a nation that was still in the grip of utter confusion and indecisiveness, irrespective of the fact that it had dared to peacefully overthrow the communist yoke. Now, what the nation required was a clear vision and sense of direction. In that sense, Vaclav Havel’s New Year’s address to the people of Czechoslovakia happened to be visionary in its scope. It not only extended a sense of hope to the flustered masses, which was badly required by the people, but also laid out a detailed plan for the new and democratic Czechoslovakia. The context and gravity of Vaclav Havel’s speech to the nation needs to be understood and interpreted with regards to the audience it intended to address. When it comes to the European civilization, Czechoslovakia happened to be a relatively new nation that came into existence near the end of the First World War, with the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Shepherd 6). It does need to be mentioned that Czechoslovakia though being a relatively young nation, happened to be an exception with regards to the other East European nations. Right after its foundation in 1918, Czechoslovakia enjoyed a long period marked by democracy and entrepreneurship, in the time period between the two World Wars (Shepherd 6). In an economic context, Czechoslovakia happened to be much developed and industrialized as compared to its other East European neighbours. However, the nation was to lose its democratic and capitalist heritage as the communists seized power in 1948 (Shepherd 6). The point of time in which Vaclav Havel delivered this speech was right after the 1989 Velvet Revolution that led to the restoration of democracy in Czechoslovakia after years of communist suppression and tyranny. Thereby at this point of time Vaclav Havel, a noted political dissident in the hitherto communist Czechoslovakia, and an acclaimed political writer and intellectual was required to lead a nation that had though set aside the communist autocracy, was quiet out of touch with its history, values and innate potential. The nation was badly in need of a father figure who not only happened to be in touch with its native heritage and culture, but who was also capable of voicing the true sentiments, hopes, and aspirations of the masses. Thereby, in this speech, Vaclav Havel, the first president of the post-communist Czechoslovakia, being true to the expectations of the masses, delivered a message full of hope, possibilities and aspirations. In this speech if on the one side Vaclav Havel catered to the innate sentiments and emotional yearnings of the people, on the other side he also exposed the soft underbelly of the nation, which if not taken care of in time could have created problems. If on the one side Vaclav Havel reminds the people of their rich history and heritage that were never foreign to democracy and a free economy, when he refers to Czechoslovakia as “A country that once could be proud of the educational levels of its citizens... (Havel 1)”, on the other side he reminds the people of the deep seated ethnic differences and marginalization of the ethnic minorities as “the bitter experiences that the Slovaks had in the past... (Havel 1)”. The other thing is that though this speech is utterly emotional in its approach, it nowhere happens to be irresponsible. In this speech Vaclav Havel like any realistic political messiah, expects the people to confess and accept their past sins in a responsible manner as he says, “we are all – though naturally to differing extents – responsible for the operation of the totalitarian machinery. None of us is just its victim. We are also its co-creators (Havel 1).” The other thing that needs to be noticed is that this speech is also indicative of the political shrewdness and wisdom of Vaclav Havel. Going by the times in which this speech was delivered, it would be safe to assume that Vaclav Havel being the first president of the pos-communist Czechoslovakia was well aware that it was his responsibility to set the political compass for the nation. Though Czechoslovakia had overthrown the communist rule, being assured of the fact that there existed a minimal possibility of an invasion by Soviet Union, yet, the mighty USSR was still an existent political reality. Vaclav Havel was well aware that there still existed strong communist sympathizers in the post-communist Czechoslovakia as he acknowledged in his speech that “Our home grown Mafia, those who do not look out of the plane windows and who eat specially fed pigs, may still be around and at times may muddy the waters... (Havel 1).”Thereby, Vaclav Havel being a strong dissident voice and the newly elected president of a free nation was well aware of the fact that the international community was looking towards the Soviet bloc nations and the political course they aspired to pursue. Vaclav Havel was well aware that he being the first citizen of the post-communist Czechoslovakia, he needed to visibly set a political course for the nation and clarify the political and economic system that they nation intended to pursue. Thereby, in this speech Vaclav Havel amply makes clear that the new Czechoslovakia aspired to align its political destiny with the liberal Western democracies. Vaclav Havel lays bare the inhumanity and cruelty inherent in the communist economic and political system of the past as “A state which calls itself a workers’ state humiliates and exploits workers. Our obsolete economy is wasting the little energy we have available (Havel 1).” Vaclav Havel is visibly trying in this speech to turn the popular sentiment against the communist political and economic system of the past that had eaten into the human values and actual potential of the Czechoslovakian people as he says “The previous regime- armed with its arrogant and intolerant ideology- reduced man to a force of production, and nature to a tool of production. In this it attacked both their very substance and their mutual relationship (Havel 1).” Thereby in this speech Vaclav Havel makes it crystal clear that as the president he aspired to steer the nation away from the formidable Soviet influence and the Soviet style politics and economics. If on the one side he is sending a clear message to the still existent Soviet Union and the local communist sympathizers to keep their hands off Czechoslovakia, on the other side he is tacitly extending a hand of friendship to the Western powers. Thereby, this speech by Vaclav Havel marks a complete severing of the political and economic ties that Czechoslovakia shared with the Soviet bloc. No doubt, to emphasize his point to the local audience, Vaclav Havel is also relying on the power of his personal stature and his reputation for boldness and truthfulness as he mentions, “I presume that you did not propose me from this office so that I, too, would lie to you (Havel 1).” To gather public support in favour of his line of thought, Vaclav Havel amply exploits the rhetorical device of allusion, as he twice makes a pointed reference to the tyranny and unconcern of the past communist regime as comprising of “political leaders (who) did not look or did not want to look out of the windows of their planes (Havel 1).” The amazing thing is that Vaclav Havel in the second half of his speech mentions his political agenda in a systematic and enumerated manner. The political priorities identified and declared by Vaclav Havel visibly intend to align the new Czechoslovakia with the political and economic values particular to the liberal Western democracies. While doing so Vaclav Havel also presents to the people of Czechoslovakia, his vision for a new and democratic Czechoslovakia. In the speech Vaclav Havel makes an astute political move as he declares that his intends his first task as the president “to use all my power and influence to ensure that we soon step up to the ballot boxes in a free election... (Havel 1).” This priority mentioned by Havel is a mark of political sagacity. Vaclav Havel was well aware that an electoral recognition of the new democratic government of Czechoslovakia will provide it with the much needed legitimacy and authority. Besides, this move would have consolidated the scope of democracy in Czechoslovakia. The second priority mentioned by Vaclav Havel in this speech tries to address the ethnic rift that had been the bane of Czechoslovakia since long. Though more than half of the population of Czechoslovakia happened to be of Czech ethnicity, the country also happened to be the home to minority communities like Slovaks, Rusyns, Hungarians, Germans, Poles and Jews. Vaclav Havel in this speech evinces an attempt to do away with the ethnic rifts in Czechoslovakia by making the nation a multicultural and multiethnic, Western style democracy. Sadly, the fears expressed by Havel in this speech eventually proved to be valid and just, as Czechoslovakia eventually split into Czech Republic and Slovak Republic in the year 1993. In the third personal priority identified by Vaclav Havel in his speech, the newly elected president shows an intention to make Czechoslovakia into a welfare state like many other nation of Western Europe as he expresses his intention “to support everything that will lead to better circumstances for our children, the elderly, women, the sick, the hardworking labourers, the national minorities and all citizens who are for any reason worse off than others (Havel 1).” This is followed by the mentioning of some populist measures like the general amnesty for the prisoners. In the end Havel makes an allusion to Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama, the icons for political and religious tolerance and freedom. As per The Washington Post, in his New Year’s address to the nation, “Mr. Havel set the tone of a new era (Smith 1).” The thing that needs to be appreciated is that at the time when Vaclav Havel delivered his New Year’s address to the nation, he was required to address multiple issues facing the country. If on the one side he intended to assure and calm down the people who were facing many fears and uncertainties in a post-communist scenario, on the other side it was up to him as the newly elected president of Czechoslovakia to set the future course for this nascent democracy. No doubt, Havel succeeded in achieving both these objectives and this speech is indeed a masterpiece of rhetoric and oratorical skills. Havel reminded the people of their democratic and prosperous past and amply alluded to the tyranny of the communist regime. At the same time he set forth an economic and political agenda in this speech that intended to align the future Czechoslovakia with the Western liberal democracies. No doubt, the personal integrity and reputation of Vaclav Havel did contribute to the overall impact of this historic speech. Works Cited Havel, Vaclav. “New Year’s Address to the Nation”. 1990. Web. 15 April 2014. Shepherd, Robin HE. Czechoslovakia. Houndmills: Macmillan, 2000. Print. Smith, J.Y. “Vaclav Havel, Dissident Playwright and former Czech President Dies”. The Washington Post 18 December 2011. Web. 15 April 2014. Read More