The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague

by Timothy Garton Ash

The Magic Lantern  is one of those rare books that define a historic moment, written by a brilliant witness who was also a participant in epochal events. Whether covering Poland’s first free parliamentary elections—in which Solidarity found itself in the position of trying to limit the scope of its victory—or sitting in at the meetings of an unlikely coalition of bohemian intellectuals and Catholic clerics orchestrating the liberation of Czechoslovakia, Garton Ash writes with enormous sympathy and power.

This book is a stunningly evocative portrait of the revolutions that swept Communism from Eastern Europe in 1989 and whose aftereffects are still being felt today. As Garton Ash writes in an incisive new afterword, from the perspective of three decades “Freedom’s battle is never finally won. It must be fought anew in every generation.”

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, European History, Germany, Poland, Memoir

167 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 1990

About the author

Timothy Garton Ash CMG FRSA is a British historian, author and commentator. He is Professor of European Studies at Oxford University. Much of his work has been concerned with the late modern and contemporary history of Central and Eastern Europe.

Reviews

[Daniel T · Rating 3 out of 5]

امسال کمونیسم در اروپای شرقی مرد. ۱۹۴۸-۱۹۸۹ آسوده بخواب. شاید بر سنگ مزارش بنویسند:
در زندگی اش هیچ چیز
چون مرگش به او ماننده نبود

به راستی که کمونیسم مرگ انسان بوده، به قول نویسنده : کمونیسم هرچند خوب هم پنداشته شود با ذات انسان جور نیست.

کتاب «ما مردم» شرح حال تجربیات نویسنده و شرکت او در به هنگام وقوع انقلاب های ۱۹۸۹ در کشور ها بوده است، از لهستان گرفته تا مجارستان ، آلمان شرقی و چکسلواکی.

نویسنده گزارشی سریع از حال و هوای مردمان را روایت میکند و نمیشود آن را به عنوان یک کتابی برای بررسی موضوعات و دلایل گماشت، اما میتوان حال و روز مردمان و انقلاب هایشان را به مانند مستندی از داخل دید. این کتاب بلافاصله بعد از پایان یافتن انقلاب های سال ۱۹۸۹ نوشته شده است.

انقلاب بوداپست حول محور مرگ شخصیتی میگردد که مردم در پاسداشت سالگرد مرگ قهرمانانه وی دست به سخنرانی ها و شعارهای ضد کمونیست میدهند که سرانجام آن اصلاحات و کناره گیری رهبران کمونیسا میباشد، شخصا با خواندن گزارش مجارستان و تطبیق تشابهات آن با اتفاقات اخیر ایرانمان و کشته شدن «مهسا امینی» غم و امید رو تجربه کردم، شاید مطرح کردن این موضوع در نظر من راجع به کتاب جایز نباشد ولی امیدوارم چنین چیزی را ما نیز تجربه کنیم و شوالیه هایی که جانشان را از دست دادند فراموش مشوند.
به قول شاندور راچ رییس شوراهای کارگران بوداپست در ۱۹۵۶: « آیا آزادی از خون قهرمانانمان میروید؟»

روایات های دیگر از کشوران نیز بسیار خواندنی هستند، مخصوصا گزارش آلمان شرقی، که از نظر من اوج احساسات را در آزادی این مردمان میشود با جان و دل حس کرد.


کتاب خواندنی و خوبیست، البته اگر قصد مطالعه دقیق تر دارید پینشهاد میکنم کتاب «انقلاب های ۱۹۸۹» از نشر ثالث رو خریداری و مطالعه کنید، ولی خواندن این کتاب نیز خالی از لطف نیست و جذابیت آن به حضور نویسنده در بطن انقلاب ها بوده است.

[Mohammad Ali Shamekhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

روایت شخصی و جالبیه از حذف تدریجیِ حزب کمونیست، البته تدریجی از نوع سریعش، در پی رویدادهای اجتماعی-سیاسی سال 1989 در مجارستان، لهستان، آلمان شرقی و چک[سلواکی] و تحول اروپای شرقی از کمونیستی بودن به اروپایی بودن. نویسنده در واقع داره ایده ی پیروزی اروپای غربی رو به تصویر می کشه و معتقده تحولات سال 1989 جز روش تغییرات، که مسالمت آمیز و عموما بدون خشونت بود در این چند کشور، دستاورد نظری ای برای علم سیاست نداره - یعنی ایده های اندیشمندان همان ایده های سال ها پیاده شده ی غربی ها است

ترجمه هم معقوله ولی یکسره فاقد توضیحاته و خواننده ی ناآشنا باید مدام بره جستجو کنه فلانی کیه بهمانی کیه. در ضبط تلفظ اسامی لهستانی هم درست عمل نشده

[Mostafa Bushehri · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب يك ديد اجمالي و كلي نسبت به وقايع انقلاب هاي اروپاي شرقي در ١٩٨٩ ميدهد. اگر از قبل اطلاعاتي از اتفاقات جنگ سرد كه به شدت با آن منطقه گره خورده است داشته باشيد كتاب برايتان خواندني تر و مفيدتر خواهد بود. براي گرفتن تصميمات درست در لحظات حياتي در آينده نه تنها بايد تاريخ خود را دانست بلكه بايد فهم و دركي هم از تاريخ ديگر ملل داشت.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having watched all this happen on TV back in the day, it was interesting to get more perspective from someone more on the ground. I do think the Prague chapter got bogged down in details and felt pretty clunky, but it was a good read on the whole. I'd like to see another edition, presuming there isn't one already, for what happened in the next years after the update at the back. Kind of changes things.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find myself rather perplexed as to the intended audience of this book. The author is clear that this is not meant to be a comprehensive history of the events in the titular cities or why they were necessary, but all of this information would be included (and better understood) in a lengthier account. Although this was published in 1989, in the immediate aftermath of the revolutions throughout Eastern Europe; perhaps readers who lived through, either within these countries or vicariously through news at the time, would not have yearned for the same level of background information that most readers today would require to fully understand the dynamics present.

The strength of this Ash's account is his final chapter, entitled "The Year of Truth". The author's analysis of the aftereffects of the revolutions in Eastern Europe, as well as his predictions of the future, was rather profound. I say this especially in light of reading this 30+ years after the events, knowing what did occur in these countries to some extent. There is also an afterword included, written in 1999. I also found this fascinating and astute.

Perhaps my own limited knowledge on the topic was the issue with the remainder of the text; I'm familiar with (and very interested in) Communism in Europe during the era of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain, but am not aware of all the intricacies. I certainly recognized the names of the major players involved in each country, but felt as though the first hand accounts of the revolutions from the author didn't resonate as they should have for me.

Perhaps I'll revisit this after reading more detailed books on the history of this region.

Format: Book, owned physical
Rating: 3.5 stars
Book 69 of 2024

[Manuel Menezes de Sequeira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. To the author's insight one must add the fact that he witnessed the events firsthand and that he writes wonderfully. The result is a book that must be read, if possible followed by The File: a Personal History (I read them in the wrong order). Knowing the past helps you understand better the present, it is said. That's exactly how I feel, having just finished the book. The importance of people such as Václav Havel and even Václav Klaus, the current president of the Czech Republic, is make very clear. Especially in the case of Václav Klaus, one understands better his reluctance to sign the Lisbon Treaty or to go along the global warming scare. I bought this book in the shop of the The Lobkowicz Collections (http://www.lobkowicz-collections.org), which itself is a remarkable case of procedural justice that could only have happened in a country that suffered decades under a communist regime. Not having had that experience, the rest of Europe does not really understand the true, deep meaning of distributive (in)justice.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

"ما از انقلاب‌هاي 1989 اروپاي شرقي اطلاعاتي داشتيم، اما هيچ کتاب مستقلي در اين باره به زبان فارسي منتشر نشده بود. حسن کتاب حاضر اين است که نوشته‌ي کسي است که خودش شاهد ماجراها بوده است، بنابراين حاوي جزئياتي است که از ديد مورخان پنهان مي‌ماند. 1989 سال مهمي در تاريخ است و در واقع نظم جهان را تغيير داد. اطلاع از چگونگي [اين انقلاب‌ها] مي‌تواند مفيد باشد، خصوصاً که نويسنده ده‌سالي بعد از اين انقلاب‌ها نظري به ميزان محقق‌شدن آرمان‌ها انداخته و ضعف‌ها و قوت‌ها را بررسي کرده است. حسن ديگرِ کتاب لحن روايي آن است که خواندن‌اش را به اندازه‌ي يک رمان لذت‌بخش است." (خشايار ديهيمي،‌سرپرست مجموعه)

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s amazing to me that we weren’t taught in history classes in high school about the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War—a period we lived through as children. I have a vague memory of a T.V. being wheeled into our classroom to watch the news of the fall of the Berlin wall when I was eight.

It’s not until reading The Magic Lantern that I’ve ever learned anything about the subject, really. As a “witness account,” this read is very emotional. At times the sentences come short and fast, betraying the excitement and energy of “being there.” One of the reasons I chose this book was because it was so slim—I wanted to get an introduction; not hundreds of pages of historical minutiae or detailed analysis. But Ash’s writing is so warm and his reporting so earnest, I finished the book wishing it were longer.

Ash invents the awkward but apt word “refolution” to describe Eastern Europe’s overthrow of Soviet rule because there was both movement from below and “change ‘from above,’ led by an enlightened minority in the still ruling communist parties” (14).

The quick succession of change in the region is inspiring by its varied deployment of nonviolence, labor unionism, electoral process, inventive mass communication, and perhaps, most surprisingly, the arts (the book’s title is from the name of the Prague theater that served as the headquarters for the dissident movement and which launched absurdist playwright Vaclav Havel to power).

Another surprising insight was the importance of television as a medium for “refolution;” ironically calling to mind the oft-quoted Scott-Heron poem/song. The use of television by the resistance was an important way of cutting through the layers of Soviet discourse and psychology that had settled over the years. Also fascinating was the widespread samizdat networks, reproducing and distributing censored works. With all of the recent discussion of social media use in the recent Arab Spring, it was awe-inspiring to think of this comparatively laborious and primitive form of revolutionary communication used just a few decades ago.

Understandably, Ash is quite generous to the dissidents and defensive of their choices. It begs a critical response, and a response with the benefit of the passage of time. I now feel suspense for learning about what has happened since ’89. Which dreams were fulfilled and which ones shattered? What balances have been struck between markets and states? What are the prospects for the future of the region?

[Lorenzo Berardi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite of my high expectations, this one turned out to be the less interesting book by Timothy Garton Ash I read so far.

Clever title and well researched accounts all right, but dry journalism/essayism with very little captivating insight on Poland and Hungary. Garton Ash does know much about the rise of Solidarnosc and yet he didn't manage to engage me about that in 'The Magic Lantern'.

On a side note, I've found it odd and cheeky that the author emphasizes the role he himself had in the '89 process either addressing miners in Poland or coining a slogan for the Velvet Revolution in Prague.
Is that true? Is that necessary to know? Is that the kind of political involvement a historian might look for? And did TGA speak such flawless Polish, Czech, German and Hungarian to become an opinion leader? I would be surprised if he did.

The chapters about East Germany and the former Czechoslovakia are the shortest ones here, but I liked them more than the rest of the book. Garton Ash and Vaclav Havel were drinking buddies and it shows.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Magic Lantern is a journalist's reflections and personal observations of the 1989 revolutions in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Germany as opposed to being a complete historical account. It gives the reader a quick overall reminder of how these revolutions came about with some violence in Poland and almost none in the other countries. It's kind of like a close up behind the scenes view. The Magic Lantern in the title refers to a theater in Prague where decision makers met to form the new government. Journalists would camp out there for the latest news on a committee meeting, announcement of an office, or whatever decision had come about. It's a fairly quick read. Good background. I was motivated to explore some points in history; always a good thing if a book prompts the reader to do that.

[Geoffrey Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timothy Garton Ash, one of our greatest chroniclers of contemporary Europe, is at his best in this eyewitness account of the velvet revolutions in Central Europe in 1989. More journalistic than interpretative history but that works here...and it's a riveting, exciting read. His accounts of the personalities involved (Walesa, Havel, Michnik, others) are detailed and interesting for a 167 page book! Highly recommended.

[Brendan Blom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good eye-witness record of the fall of Communism in eastern Europe in 1989. Not too much analysis - one step up from journalism - so is a good companion piece to something like Tony Judt's "Postwar." Interesting to read in-the-moment descriptions of individuals like Lech Walesa and Vaclav Havel, and how they are able to guide world history-changing events through their own words and behaviour.

[Kim Collmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, though as the writer says at the beginning, it is all written so quickly after the fact that is reads almost like a very long magazine article. The writer comes across initially as a bit full of himself and his role in the changes that took place (sorry) but once I got past that, he has very informative insider information that brings you right into "history."

[Baris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arguably this book is one of the widely read account of the year 1989. Unfortunately however, Ash's account is extremely simplistic and --rather-- dated now. One may find interesting anectodes here and there, but unless you are extremely interested in the topic, you may ignore this book.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in North America as The Magic Lantern (a title originally drawn from one of the chapter headings) We the People deliberately echoes the opening phrase of the US Constitution in proclaiming that the legitimacy of a government comes from – and resides in – its own citizens, but it also encapsulates precisely the claims of the revolutionaries described here in vivid detail.

Though a slim volume, it describes how the author was present at pivotal moments, ripe with significance for Europe’s postwar history as power was, almost bloodlessly, wrested from four countries in the Soviet bloc: Poland, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, and Czechoslovakia.

More than just a witness, Timothy Garton Ash was on familiar terms with key players such as Adam Michnik in Poland and Václav Havel in Czechoslovakia. As an account chronicling events in the second half of 1989 and, in January of the next year, attempting a reasoned if premature summary, this document retains a rare immediacy, buttressed by well-informed assessments authored by a respected academic of contemporary European history.

I said: ‘In Poland it took ten years, in Hungary ten months, in East Germany ten weeks: perhaps in Czechoslovakia it will take ten days!’ [… Václav] Havel gave his reaction: ‘It would be fabulous, if it could be so . . .’ Revolution, he said, is too exhausting.

After an introductory chapter contextualising the revolutions (in two cases, what could be called ‘refolutions’ – a compound from reform plus revolution) Timothy Garton Ash deals successively with events centred on Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague where in June he witnessed change beginning while embedded in Solidarity, in mid-June was present at the reburial of the Hungarian political martyr Imre Nagy, then in November crossed the now opened Wall from East to West Berlin before transferring to Prague. Here, in a theatre occupied by the newly formed Civic Forum, he watched negotiations that led to the Communist Party’s capitulation and the setting up of free elections.

A final chapter written in January of the following year just before the book was published gives a measured summary of progress, offers an assessment of what it might mean, and details the author’s hopes for the future.

It’s interesting looking from my perspective some thirty-five years later to see what actually came about and what didn’t: for example, three of the countries – four now, after Czechoslovakia re-formed into its constituent part as Czechia and Slovakia – not only joined what was to become the European Union in 2004 but reconstituted an earlier alliance signed at Visegrád Castle in the 14th century for mutual cooperation; yet the territorial ambitions and political influence which the Soviet Union relinquished under Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika initiatives have since been aggressively revived under Putin, a future development the author hardly dared express.

Though populist politics have re-emerged with a vengeance in former Czechoslovakia, and Hungary has long been under the sway of Viktor Orbán and his right-wing Fidesz party (Fiatal Demokraták Szövetsége), in 1989 both countries, along with Poland, were enthusiastically reborn under principles of consensus, not dictatorship by Party. Garton Ash, being as it were the historian “on the ground” was familiar with key players in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, less so in former GDR where he’d long been persona non grata. He was thus able to give an almost blow by blow and day by day accounts of developments, and his grasp of contemporary politics and acquaintance with politicians’ CVs makes him an authoritative guide.

Many of us were witnesses at some remove, getting our news and political assessments via broadcast and printed media, but Garton Ash brings it alive. He is a chatty observer, as many of the chapter titles suggest: ‘The First Election’ helps us understand how future President, the charismatic Lech Wałęsa, rose to prominence in Poland; ‘The Last Funeral’ gives us a glimpse of another future president in young firebrand Viktor Orbán; ‘Wall’s End’ describes the extraordinary scenes as East Berliners crossed once forbidden zones; and the Prague vividly evokes the smoky atmosphere of consensus decision-making in the Magic Lantern theatre as well as in the city streets and in Prague’s Wenceslas Square. One moment one holds one’s breath awaiting the Party response, and the next we picture scenes of collective emotion and even quiet euphoria when ‘we the people’ sense political power and societal control slipping from the oppressor’s grasp.

I wish I could say more about how this momentous year in history becomes present in Garton Ash’s detailed yet concise reporting and analysis, but that would defeat the purposes of this review. Instead I would urge any student of contemporary politics, amateur or professional, to seek out this account to help them understand some of the strands modern Europe grew from, and perhaps where it has arrived now.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 1 out of 5]

as others have said
extremely simplistic and dated

oh you want a crappy Amazonia review for a second opinion.

okay Norm MacDonald, hand me the sheet of paper

..........

Interesting but the author's self-absorption gets in the way

This book is an interesting but very subjective account of the events in 1989 in Central Europe. Having been an eyewitness myself, I find some of Garton Ash's interpretations very doubtful. He also writes far too much about himself for this to be a critical eye-witness account of events.


The Adsorption angle, fully absorbs my attention with this review!

Ash seems to adhere to my shoe, like dog crap sometimes, how he can dine with the Pope and advise Thatcher and go to Davos as some Hoover Institution spook is beyond me. I guess it's the liberal internationalist side of him, when he's not defending Soros and Kiev all the time between Thatcher and the Pope and drinks in East Berlin.

Who the fuck wants to go to Grad School in West Berlin and East Berlin one after the other, talk about being a sucker for punishment.

Ash is a better writer than Timothy Snyder, and at least gets his facts right a lot more, unlike Snyder, even if they sometimes feel like Siamese Twins sometimes

..........

one-dimensional history doesn't cut it one bit
dull memoirs, well that's a 2.7 out of ten, I'll give you that

I guess this was the book of the moment, and went onto the discount pile
and dated itself worse than the Bay City Rollers

[James Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a brilliant witness who also took part in epochal events, The Magic Lantern is one of those rare books that defines a historic moment. Covering events such as the first free parliamentary elections in Poland, where Solidarity was forced to try and limit the extent of its victory, or attending the meetings of an unlikely alliance of Catholic clerics and free-thinking intellectuals planning the liberation of Czechoslovakia, Garton Ash writes with a great deal of empathy and impact.

This book is a stunningly evocative portrait of the revolutions that swept Communism from Eastern Europe in 1989 and whose aftereffects are still being felt today. From the perspective of more than three decades, Garton Ash writes in a sharp afterword, "Freedom's battle is never fully won. It must be fought anew in every generation.” I would recommend this to all readers who are interested in modern European history.

[Tierney Chabot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short personal insight into 1989 might have been one of the most difficult books for me to finish. So dry almost like a journal, not a fun read, and yet such an interesting perspective for what is now a history book but was published in 1993 as Current Affairs. The unique lived perspective of the author during the events of 1989 coupled with the perspective of the reader in 2025 creates a fascinating nonfiction experience. If nonfiction with a side of time travel is your flavor you might enjoy this quick glimpse into sitting at the table of four revolutions in 1989.

[Ella Szczepanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for history class. Very interesting, especially reading this 35 year later knowing how it has all played out so far lol

[Connor Peppard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didnt feel like a history book which is a good thing

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I wasted my time and I don’t feel any smarter by the end of it.

[Usain · Rating 4 out of 5]

In de traditie van 'Reds' van John Reed doet Timothy Garton Ash verslag van de val van de Oost-Europese communistische regimes in '89. Hij staat tussen het volk en, vooral, tussen die mensen die intussen overbekend zijn en de revoluties mee tot stand hebben gebracht, Lech Wałȩsa, Václav Havel, Dubček en Bärbel Bohley van Neues Forum. In Praag is hij voortdurend aanwezig in het Lucerna-gebouw op het Wenceslasplein, het broednest van de nieuwe Tsjechoslovaakse staat. Hij ontleent de naam van zijn boek eraan, lucerna, lantaarn.
Als gedegen journalist rapporteert Timothy Garton Ash niet alleen, maar tracht, on the fly, duiding te geven bij de zich ontwikkelende gebeurtenissen.
In de editie van 1999 is er een slothoofdstuk toegevoegd met een terugblik 10 jaar later. De conclusies zijn bijgesteld in het licht van de gebeurtenissen die zich intussen hebben afgespeeld: bevrijdingsacties in de hele wereld, in Midden- en Zuid-Amerika, in Zuid-Afrika, de oorlog in de Balkan.
Een bevlogen boek over een stuk recente geschiedenis, nu toch alweer 25 jaar geleden. Toch raar dat daarover zo weinig te vinden is in de boekhandel. De invloeden op de toestanden vandaag zijn nochtans niet te verwaarlozen.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the author's brief reflections on his experience of the 1989 Revolutions in Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. The essays are entirely readable, and make several good points: a comparison of the various political entities (noting that Poland was "professional" in its political protest movement, in comparison to Czechoslovakia) and the shocking "ordinary" steps taken by people in protest of Communism. (Indeed, a theme in the book is the actions of regular people, like an elderly person who collared TGA at the Polish elections to make sure he was voting against Communism in his selection of candidates.) Overall, TGA asks (in 1990) whether this is the dawn of "Central Europe," since Eastern Europe as a notion was linked intrinsically to the Soviet system.

Overall, the book is thoughtful and provides important witness insight into the events of 1989. The author's self-insertion does stand out (he takes credit for the 10 months/10 weeks/10 days comment, famous during the Revolution), but that's a small issue in an otherwise valuable book.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, quick refresher on the significant events that rocked Europe 20 years ago.
This short book (156 pages) provides vivid, on-the-ground accounts of pivotal activities in five cities (Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, Leipzig, and Prague) during the collapse of the totalitarian regimes in Central Europe in 1989.
The author warns us, in the very first chapter: "I cannot emphasize too strongly that this is not a comprehensive history of the events of 1989 in Eastern Europe." This is certainly true. He describes clearly, and reflects insightfully on, what he sees and experiences at the epicenters of the revolutions, but writing about these events at the beginning of 1990 didn't allow time to place them in historical perspective. This is journalism--excellent journalism--but it is not history.

[Kev D'Olivo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and very insightful contemporary account of the Revolutions of 1989 in Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and East Germany. Garton Ash wears his biases on his sleeve and tends to give great historical weight to what he saw, but to be fair what happened in 1989 in these countries is one of the defining moments of the 20th Century. I found his writing exceptional and his treatment of the people and events for the most part fair. I do tend to disagree with his conception of what happened in these countries as "refolution." Life changed too much for the people of these former communist polities to be considered anything less than revolution. Reform might have been part of the process but revolution was the goal and , more importantly, the result. Overall a very important and enjoyable first hand account of 1989.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing account of the end of communism in Eastern Europe! This book kind of blurs the line between primary and secondary historical sources because it was written just one year after the events, and it was written by an eyewitness. This book practically had me on the edge of my seat waiting for the glorious revolutions that occurred when people who had suffered the oppression of communism for decades were suddenly liberated, and many of them experienced freedom for the first time in their lives. Such turning points in history, when rightly considered, are enough to bring you to tears, and Ash does an amazing job of capturing all the emotions of these revolutions. The book moves quickly and is surprisingly short, but it is altogether amazing!

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slim, amusing book of collected articles on the '89 Revolutions as witnessed by a British reporter. Ash spent the most time, and was closest to events in Prague, so that's the story that takes up the bulk of the book. And the Czech revolution seems like a gas - a hilarious bunch of students, academics, and poets all of a sudden bringing down a government without any violence. Ash: Damage had been done that could never be repaired. but if a land has to have a revolution, then it would be difficult to imagine a better revolution than the one Czechoslovakia had: swift, almost entirely non-violent, joyful and funny"

I picked this up for a couple of bucks at a used book store and it was worth it. mostly for the on-the-ground perspective of events

[Brendan Steinhauser · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Magic Lantern" is a first-hand account of the peaceful revolutions that swept East Central Europe in 1989. The author spent time with many of the protagonists and was a witness to the momentous events that liberated this region from Soviet-backed communism.

His analysis of the grassroots revolutions against communist totalitarianism is sober, realistic, and fascinating. The author wrote the book without the benefit of historical hindsight, and provided an interesting look at what he observed in the great capitals of Berlin, Prague, Warsaw, and Budapest. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the events of 1989 that led to the downfall of the Iron Curtain, and eventually the Soviet Union itself.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronicles the "velvet revolutions" that brought down totalitarian communist regimes of Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War. What makes this book amazing is the immediacy that it conveys. You really feel the sense of infinite possibility that these revolutionaries experienced, the awareness that things were changing and that anything was possible. Moreover, it shows that it might just be possible for humanity to escape the trajectory of its own sad history; that people can fight for fundamental change--toward a more just society--without terror, without vengeance, without bloodshed. And win.