Advances in the History of Rhetoric Apr 2015

Czech Rhetoric of 1989 and Václav Havel

Martina Klicperová-Baker

Abstract

ABSTRACT Year 1989 was memorable for rhetoric. Words had power. Clumsy Communist speeches, delivered in a futile attempt to preserve the old order, backfired and sealed the downfall of the old regime. The town squares became public arenas for ad hoc referenda; rhetoric became a legitimate weapon. Battles for public opinion culminated in unique confrontations of speakers and crowds at the ČKD industrial plant and Letná plain in Prague. Václav Havel, a dissident and shy unlikely leader, won by both his ethos and logos. Havel’s slogan ‘Truth and Love has to Prevail over Lie and Hatred’ became a staple of the Velvet Revolution and is still alive, provoking the enemies of moral politics and civil society. Drawing on academic literature, the article provides a closer analysis of Havel’s rhetoric.

Journal
Advances in the History of Rhetoric
Published
2015-04-13
DOI
10.1080/15362426.2015.1010867
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism argument
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (46)

  1. Adamec, Ladislav (1989)
    Address at Letenská plain
  2. Anonymous . 1990. “Philosopher-Kings (Vaclav Havel, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk).” March 31. The Economi…
  3. Berman, Paul . 1997. “The Philosopher-King Is Mortal.” New York Times Magazine, May 11, 32–59. http…
  4. Clive-Mathews, James 2008. “Vaclav Havel for EU president?” Nosemonkey’s Eutopia Blog, A…
  5. Cornwell, Rupert . 2004. “Folksy Bush to the Fore as Kerry’s Lead Is Eroded.” Independent, August 3…
Show all 46 →
  1. Daneš (1955)
    Kapitoly z praktické stylistiky [Chapters from a practical style]
  2. Goetz-Stankiewicz (1999)
    Critical Essays on Vaclav Havel
  3. Gorbachev, Mikhail . 1988. “Perestroika: New Thinking for Our Country and the World.” http://www.am…
  4. Gronbeck (2004)
    Rhetoric and Politics
  5. Hariman (1995)
    Political Style: The Artistry of Power
     ↗
  6. Havel (2015)
    Personal communication
  7. Havel (1964)
    Antikódy [Anticodes]
  8. Havel, Václav. . 1989. “Projev k demonstrantům na Václavském náměstí” [Address to participants of d…
  9. Havel (1990)
    Help the Soviet Union on Its Road to Democracy: Consciousness Precedes Being
    Vital Speeches of the Day
  10. Havel (1990)
    Slovo o slovu [A word on word]
  11. Havel, Václav. . 1990c. “Words on Words” (Acceptance speech for Peace Prize of the German Bookselle…
  12. Havel (1992)
    Dear Dr. Husák
  13. Havel (1992)
    “Paradise Lost.”
  14. Havel (1992)
    Thinking About František K
  15. Havel (1992)
    Vážení občané: Projevy červenec 1990–červenec 1992 [Dear citizens: Speeches July 1990–Jul…
  16. Havel (1993)
    Summer Meditations
  17. Havel, Václav. . 2009. “Za pravdu a lásku sklízím už 20 let posměch” [I have been ridiculed for tru…
  18. Herman, David . 2005. “Global Public Intellectuals Poll.” Prospect Magazine, Issue 116, November 20…
  19. Hornik (1994)
    “Przemiany języka propagandy na przykładzie oficjalnych przemówień Klementa Gottwalda i V…
    Socjolingwistyka
  20. Hornik (1998)
    Język przemówień Václava Havla z lat 1989–1993 [Language of speeches by Václav Havel 1989–1993]
  21. Hutka, Jaroslav . 2010. “Jaroslav Hutka: Havlicku Havle.” YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I…
  22. Jakeš, Milouš . 1989a. “Milouš Jakeš.” YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOCzPU-uq-k.
  23. Jakeš, Milouš . 1989b. “Milos Jakes Speech: 1989/07/17 (Highlights)—Part 1.” http://www.youtube.com…
  24. Janát (1993)
    “Myslet proti duchu doby” [Thinking against the spirit of the times]
    Listy
  25. Jelínek (1961)
    Frekvence slov, slovních druhů a tvarů v českém jazyce [Word frequency in Czech language]
  26. Klicperová-Baker (1999)
    Phenomena of a Nonviolent Struggle in the ‘Velvet Revolution.’
  27. Klicperová (1997)
    Nonviolent Conflict Resolution and Civic Culture: The Czechoslovak Experience
  28. Klicperová-Baker (2014)
    Post-Communist Democracy vs. Totalitarianism: Contrasting Patterns of Need Satisfaction a…
    Communist and Post-Communist Studies. Submitted
  29. Kosatík (2010)
    Čeští demokraté. 50 nejvýznamnějších osobností veřejného života. [Czech democrats. Fifty …
  30. Kraus (1992)
    “Proměny řečnického stylu v češtině” [Transformations of Czech rhetorical style]
    Slovo a slovesnost
  31. Michnik (2012)
    When Socrates Became Pericles: Václav Havel’s ‘Great History,’ 1936–2011
    Common Knowledge  ↗
  32. Putna (2011)
    Václav Havel: Duchovní portrét v rámu české kultury 20. století. [Václav Havel: A Spiritu…
  33. Ramzy, Rasha I. 2006. “Communicating Cosmopolitanism: An Analysis of the Rhetoric of Jim…
  34. Ritivoi (2006)
    Paul Ricoeur: Tradition and Innovation in Rhetorical theory. SUNY Series, Rhetoric in the…
  35. Seaton (2002)
    Václav Havel’s Federalist Papers: Summer Meditations and the Genuine Concept of Politics
    Political Science Reviewer
  36. Škácha, Oldřich . 2011. Photographs. http://www.skacha-foto.com/v_havel.swf.
  37. Skocdopole, Petr . 2003. “Havelspeak: Linguists Are Already Bemoaning the End of Havel’s Presidenti…
  38. Štěpán, Miloslav . 1989. “Nejsme male deti.” YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZuCECah6-w.
  39. Stich, Alexandr . 1992. “Děkuji vám za pozornost—Rado se stalo.” [Thank you for your attention—You …
  40. Těšitelová (1987)
    O češtině v číslech [On Czech language and numbers]
  41. Urban, Jan . 2010. “Pravda jako nadávka” [Truth as a swear word]. Blog aktualne.cz, December 8. htt…
CrossRef global citation count: 1 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Res Rhetorica Apr 2026
    Logos in ancient Greek discourse on rhetoric: An overview ↗
    Arkadiusz Sokolnicki
    classical rhetoric rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument
  2. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Apr 2026
    Psyche or Soma?: An Analysis of the Medical Debates Over the Diagnosis and Treatment of “Transsexualism” ↗
    Samantha Rippetoe
    rhetorical criticism argument archival research
  3. Argumentation Mar 2026
    (Mis)representing the Opposition and Rhetorical Success: Experimental Evidence on Faithful and Inaccurate Reformulations ↗
    Ramy Younis
    rhetorical criticism argument
  4. Poroi Feb 2026
    Using Stasis Theory as a Heuristic for Examining Epistemological Dilemmas in a Post-Truth Landscape ↗
    Bruce Bowles
    classical rhetoric modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument
  5. Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Feb 2026
    Making Amends to the Dead: Reparative Ethos in Veteran Expressions of Survivor’s Guilt ↗
    Kayla Rhidenour; Robert Mack; Kristen Cole
    rhetorical criticism argument