Publisher’s
write-up:
‘The Power of the Powerless (Czech: Moc bezmocných) is an expansive
political essay written in October 1978 by the Czech dramatist, political
dissident and later politician, Václav Havel. The essay dissects the nature of
the communist regime of the time, life within such a regime and how by their
very nature such regimes can create dissidents of ordinary citizens. The essay
goes on to discuss ideas and possible actions by loose communities of
individuals linked by a common cause, such as Charter 77. Officially
suppressed, the essay was circulated in samizdat form and translated into
multiple languages. It became a manifesto for dissent in Czechoslovakia, Poland
and other communist regimes.’
Note: This book is originally written in Czech and I read its French
translation. Cliquez ici afin de lire mon avis en français
The Power of the Powerless is an essay written by the former president
of the Czech Republic Václav Havel, who was also an activist or civil liberties
when Czechoslovakia was under the influence of the Soviet Union.
He starts by describing the present situation in the Eastern bloc, given
the essay was written in 1985, before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He starts by
explaining how a totalitarian regime operates, and also challenges the common
Western perception that these were countries under a classical dictatorship
where a person at the top of the system micro manages and takes all the
decisions. However, he explains how the system has moved to a ‘post-totalitarian’
regime, where public obedience is automated through the institutions created by
the regime. He takes an example that is easy to understand, where his local
greengrocer has a signboard that said he supported the regime and shows how deep
the tentacles of the system had reached, which forced the greengrocer to explicitly
express support to function.
He also spoke of a solution, as to how, little by little, the system
could be shaken, for instance, if the greengrocer removes this signs and other
people start disobeying some of the automations created by the system – so that
they can realise the importance of living with freedom, respect and dignity. He
also spoke of the importance of finding a ‘second culture’ for such resistance
movements, taking the example of jazz musicians in Poland, who had radical
lyrics and had created their own cult of followers, which held create a
disobedience movement there. He goes on to say how these small actions of the ‘powerless’
en masse, can bring about tremors in the system.
I felt the author gave a good context before starting the essay, and
even though I am no expert of Czech / Slovak politics, I found the book easy to
understand. For that, I also have the translator of my edition to thank, who
had added notes wherever there were references to Czechoslovak personalities or
movements during the 70s and the 80s. Many of the issues he raised are relevant
even today, given how populism is making a comeback in Europe and other parts
of the world and we need to keep in mind that the freedoms that we have today
is not permanent, it would not be long before we fall into another ‘post-totalitarian’
system if we are not careful.
The postface written by Adrian Pabst, a professor of politics in the UK,
evoked the same point, even though there were some points of his that I disagreed,
wherein he equated the measures taken by various governments to curtail the
spread of covid-19 as an example of totalitarian tendencies in present regimes,
which is ironically an argument used by actual politicians with totalitarian
views such as Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen or Nigel Farage.
I enjoyed my read and I felt his ideas were expressed very well, which
does not surprise me given he was a playwright and poet by profession and thus,
very good at communication. I also learnt a lot about the political history of
the countries I love visiting as a tourist (Czech Republic and Slovakia). The book
would be an easy read for anyone who likes following current news related to politics
and to conclude, I would say this is a book highly recommended by me. I award
the book a rating of eight on ten.
Rating – 8/10
Have a nice day,
Andy
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