The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague
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- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Timothy Garton Ash
- ISBN：1838950702
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Summary
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。
In this book -- now with a new Afterword by the author -- Garton Ash creates a stunningly evocative portrait of the revolutions that swept Communism from Eastern Europe in 1989 and whose after-effects will resonate for years to come。
In this book -- now with a new Afterword by the author -- Garton Ash creates a stunningly evocative portrait of the revolutions that swept Communism from Eastern Europe in 1989 and whose after-effects will resonate for years to come。
Reviews
S S
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It is a factual narrative of the event without analysis， crucial in an era before smartphone cameras with dabs of poetry。 Illuminating， educational and disturbingly familiar。 It is interesting to note how the socialist communism was rejected for capitalism in light of today's criticism of capitalism economic model。 It is a factual narrative of the event without analysis， crucial in an era before smartphone cameras with dabs of poetry。 Illuminating， educational and disturbingly familiar。 It is interesting to note how the socialist communism was rejected for capitalism in light of today's criticism of capitalism economic model。 。。。more
John
，
The Magic Lantern is Timothy Garton’s Ash’s first-hand account of how this revolution transpired in those four countries。 （He doesn’t discuss Romania or Bulgaria because he didn’t witness the transfer of power in those two countries。） This is not a comprehensive account of all that went into the revolution。 Instead， it a detailed summary of the actual steps that resulted in the transfer of power from a one-party communist state to a multi-party parliamentary democracy。 Although brief， most of th The Magic Lantern is Timothy Garton’s Ash’s first-hand account of how this revolution transpired in those four countries。 （He doesn’t discuss Romania or Bulgaria because he didn’t witness the transfer of power in those two countries。） This is not a comprehensive account of all that went into the revolution。 Instead， it a detailed summary of the actual steps that resulted in the transfer of power from a one-party communist state to a multi-party parliamentary democracy。 Although brief， most of the chapters appeared initially as long magazine articles， the book is grounded in several years of research on these countries， especially Poland。 The first four chapters deal with the changeover in Poland， Hungary， East Germany and Czechoslovakia， respectively。 Although some details differ in each country， there are similarities。 In each case， the governing party reached a conclusion that the old order was not sustainable and the Soviet Union was not going to intervene as in 1956 and 1968 to maintain the status quo。 I think in each case， the governing party hoped that some minor concessions might enough to keep them in power but eventually they realized that the Party had to go。 Personally， I found the first four chapters to be a bit of a slogged。 There a lot of names put forth and I had difficulty keeping them all straight， especially since these events took place more than 31 years ago。 Of the four revolutions， I found the one in East Germany the most interesting。 While the reformers in each country may have had their own agendas， East Germany was the only place where a group of reformers advocated a socialist alternative to a more free-market economy， that type of economy that existed in West Germany。 Perhaps because of proximity， some dissidents there opposed unification and instead advocated for a better East Germany， one that wasn’t authoritarian and spied on its citizens but one that was more egalitarian and less competitive than the West with a greater sense of social solidarity。 As we know， this was not the path that the East Germans chose。 After 40 years socialism in East Germany， failed to deliver what it promised it promised and East Germans did not believe that a new socialism would deliver it。 East Germans were tired of being laboratory rabbits used in the quest for a socialist utopia。 There was a widespread belief that the free market worked （at least in creating wealth） in West Germany and they wanted a piece of that prosperity。 So， in the free elections that occurred in 1990， the parties that advocated unification with West Germany won a majority and the journey towards joining the Federal Republic of Germany was underway。 The most interesting chapter for me was the last one in which Ash discusses the reasons why the revolutions in 1989 were successful while similar movements in 1956 （Hungary）， 1968 （Czechoslovakia） and the early 1980s （Poland） were not。 Perhaps the biggest difference in 1989 was that the Gorbachev was not willing to use Soviet military power to suppress the reform movements。 Because this dependence on the Soviet Union， the local communist parties were not able to exercise what Ash called the Soviet Kalashnikov crutch。 At the same time， the ruling parties in each country lost their belief in its own right to rule。 They no longer thought that they had a right to beat the opposition and no right to rule by force。 。。。more
Daria
，
Exhilarating！ I felt the emotions， I felt the atmosphere， I felt like I was a part of it！ A truly brilliant account of the events that transpired。
Začínáme s historií
，
Zajímavý pohled "zvenku" na českou revoluci roku 1989， ale i na převraty v dalších státech střední Evropy。 Dobře je pak možné události navzájem porovnat。 Nejedná se o odbornou knihu， ale o autentickou výpověď dobře informovaného svědka událostí。 Zajímavý pohled "zvenku" na českou revoluci roku 1989， ale i na převraty v dalších státech střední Evropy。 Dobře je pak možné události navzájem porovnat。 Nejedná se o odbornou knihu， ale o autentickou výpověď dobře informovaného svědka událostí。 。。。more
Craig Werner
，
Read the most recent edition with Ash's 2019 epilog， which offers a sobering set of reflections on what went wrong with the Velvet Revolutions of 1989 that brought the Communist era in Eastern Europe to an end。 The short answer is that of the four goals--free elections， a market economy， a legal system applied equally to all， and a rebirth of civid society--only the economy mattered to those who grabbed power。The bulk of the book， however， consists of Ash's observations from the midst of the tra Read the most recent edition with Ash's 2019 epilog， which offers a sobering set of reflections on what went wrong with the Velvet Revolutions of 1989 that brought the Communist era in Eastern Europe to an end。 The short answer is that of the four goals--free elections， a market economy， a legal system applied equally to all， and a rebirth of civid society--only the economy mattered to those who grabbed power。The bulk of the book， however， consists of Ash's observations from the midst of the transformation。 He had a front row seat for many key events and， writing at a moment when it wasn't clear what was going to happen， there's a real sense of suspense and possibility。 。。。more
John Ward
，
Preferred The File， but this was an enjoyable read with relevant info。
Chris
，
Quick read， but the final chapter - and the 2019 retrospective， looking back from 30 years in the future - are the stars of the show。
Audrey
，
the last chapter is the most fire :^）
Gayla Bassham
，
I was a little skeptical of this book just because it is thirty years old at this point， but I found it well worth reading。 Getting an up-close view of how the revolutionaries saw their movement in 1990 gives context for a lot of what we are seeing in Europe today。 There are definitely moments that don't hold up particularly well--at one point Ash is quite dismissive of the possibility of a rise in nationalism in Eastern Europe， and yet here we are。My edition of this book concludes with an epilo I was a little skeptical of this book just because it is thirty years old at this point， but I found it well worth reading。 Getting an up-close view of how the revolutionaries saw their movement in 1990 gives context for a lot of what we are seeing in Europe today。 There are definitely moments that don't hold up particularly well--at one point Ash is quite dismissive of the possibility of a rise in nationalism in Eastern Europe， and yet here we are。My edition of this book concludes with an epilogue written within the last year。 Ash concludes that "The West’s mistake after 1989 was not that we celebrated what happened in Berlin， Prague， Warsaw， and Budapest as a triumph of liberal， European， and Western values。 It was all of that。 Our mistake was to imagine that this was now the norm， the new normal， the way history was going。" And I find that sadly hard to argue with。 。。。more
Stephen Hoffman
，
Brings the overturning of dictatorships in such a swift time to life。
David Grossmann
，
Pro Ashe to musela být v roce 1989 opravdu jízda。 Byl na všech důležitých místech tehdejšího východního bloku a živě popsal a vlastně asi i definoval zlomové okamžiky protikomunistických revolucí。 Pro mě bylo skvělé， že mi tak umožnil vidět Sametovou revoluci v širším kontextu。 Knihu vydal už v roce 1990 a nyní doplnil svoji analýzou stavu bývalých komunistických zemí po 30 letech。 Někteří hrdinové revoluce roku 1989 （Viktor Orbán） se za tu dobu změnili v despoty a lidé proti nim protestují se s Pro Ashe to musela být v roce 1989 opravdu jízda。 Byl na všech důležitých místech tehdejšího východního bloku a živě popsal a vlastně asi i definoval zlomové okamžiky protikomunistických revolucí。 Pro mě bylo skvělé， že mi tak umožnil vidět Sametovou revoluci v širším kontextu。 Knihu vydal už v roce 1990 a nyní doplnil svoji analýzou stavu bývalých komunistických zemí po 30 letech。 Někteří hrdinové revoluce roku 1989 （Viktor Orbán） se za tu dobu změnili v despoty a lidé proti nim protestují se stejnými hesly jako tehdy proti komunismu。 Důležité poučení tak je， že dějiny nikdy nekončí a tu nejlepší podobu demokracie a svobody je nutné znovu a znovu bránit。 。。。more
Rayrumtum
，
This is a look at the revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe。 The author was in four of them at a critical time and has a behind the scenes the perspective within the forces against Communism。 He saw how the groups operated internally and made decisions about the future。I enjoyed this book but recommend it more for reading by a European specialist。 There are other books for readers newer to the material that gives broader insights。
Lukas Evan
，
Pretty cool way to have a revolution。
David Jennings
，
A bit like a band rereleasing a classic album with extra tracks， this one。 My overall impression was to be slightly underwhelmed: the reportage from the being there at the time somehow seems to lack weight， perhaps it now feels like well-ploughed fields。 There are some interesting insights into the deep and long historical roots that suddenly all flowered together in the space of a few months。 The comparison with 1848 is instructive too， and TGA is able to take the long view now （in the 2019 aft A bit like a band rereleasing a classic album with extra tracks， this one。 My overall impression was to be slightly underwhelmed: the reportage from the being there at the time somehow seems to lack weight， perhaps it now feels like well-ploughed fields。 There are some interesting insights into the deep and long historical roots that suddenly all flowered together in the space of a few months。 The comparison with 1848 is instructive too， and TGA is able to take the long view now （in the 2019 afterword） of Hungary's journey from Orban as young firebrand to Orban as the populist rolling back democratic institutions。 。。。more
Britta
，
I read The Magic Lantern as research for my novel （or what is barely a novel yet， but #goals）。 I appreciated the emphasis on Prague in the book， as information on the Velvet Revolution is the most relevant for my research。 Since this book was written not even a year out from the four respective revolutions against communism， it was fascinating to consider how much uncertainty there was at the time。 It's so easy to forget how much was unknown as major events in history unfolded and The Magic Lant I read The Magic Lantern as research for my novel （or what is barely a novel yet， but #goals）。 I appreciated the emphasis on Prague in the book， as information on the Velvet Revolution is the most relevant for my research。 Since this book was written not even a year out from the four respective revolutions against communism， it was fascinating to consider how much uncertainty there was at the time。 It's so easy to forget how much was unknown as major events in history unfolded and The Magic Lantern helped me get a good perspective on the fears， anxieties， and uncertainties that people at the time felt， alongside the joy and relief。 Ash gives an excellent outsider perspective and he is deeply immersed in the experiences of the people in each city。 Still， the book is fairly technical， with the expectation that readers have quite an in depth understanding of Cold War Eastern European politics。 While a fascinating perspective， it is not a particularly easy or fun to read。 I also yearned for a more updated afterward。 Ash's ten year's later afterward， while informative， was dated and meant little for my understanding of where Eastern Europe is at 30 years out from communism's fall。 。。。more
Jay Wright
，
1989 was a read letter year for democracy and Ash was there to chronicle it。 This is not a researched piece。 Ash was writing in the here and now。 It is his jounnies to East Germany， Poland， Hungary and the Czech Republic in 1989。 Highly enjoyable with an understanding as to why these peaceful revolutions occurred。
Christy Hillebrand
，
Fascinating synopsis of the fall of the iron curtain from all over Europe from someone that was there on the inside as a journalist through it all。
Claudio
，
História escrita a quente。
Jordan S。
，
You have to keep in mind that this book was written in 1990 with limited information about the full extent of the lead up and impact of these revolutions: East and West Germany hadn’t even reunited when this book was published。 I think this book is best read while viewing it as a historical document; an account of these revolutions immediately or soon after they had taken place by someone who was on the ground。 If you want a full account of what happened， I would recommend reading another book b You have to keep in mind that this book was written in 1990 with limited information about the full extent of the lead up and impact of these revolutions: East and West Germany hadn’t even reunited when this book was published。 I think this book is best read while viewing it as a historical document; an account of these revolutions immediately or soon after they had taken place by someone who was on the ground。 If you want a full account of what happened， I would recommend reading another book before this。 The one issue I have with this book that other reviewers have also brought up is the claims of the author seem at times a bit exaggerated。 Did he really coin the famous phrase “Poland in 10 years， Hungary in 10 months， Czechoslovakia in 10 days”？ Who’s to say。 Overall， this book provides great context for what was known about these revolutions one year after and I’d recommend for anyone who would like to learn more about 1989 and how these events manifested。 。。。more
Kiah
，
A speedy read featuring first-hand perspectives on the revolution of 1989 in Warsaw， Budapest， Berlin， and Prague。 I don't know much of the detail of this period of European history， I'll admit， so it was definitely interesting to read the author's observations， experiences and perspectives on each country breaking free from the Soviet Union。 A speedy read featuring first-hand perspectives on the revolution of 1989 in Warsaw， Budapest， Berlin， and Prague。 I don't know much of the detail of this period of European history， I'll admit， so it was definitely interesting to read the author's observations， experiences and perspectives on each country breaking free from the Soviet Union。 。。。more
The Bear
，
Riveting read on the development of democratic movements in central and eastern Europe （Poland， Hungary， Germany， and Czech Republic） at the end of the Cold War。
Women's Foreign Policy Group
，
Our intern Catie has read and recommends The Magic Lantern by Timothy Garton Ash。 Catie says "This book is short and very readable， and it is one of my favorite accounts of the late 80s in Eastern Europe。 Garton Ash is a journalist and it shows through in his writing， making the book both an excellent witness account as well as a well researched text。 With Russia and Eastern Europe back in the news recently， I think the Magic Lantern is a great read and provides excellent insight into a region w Our intern Catie has read and recommends The Magic Lantern by Timothy Garton Ash。 Catie says "This book is short and very readable， and it is one of my favorite accounts of the late 80s in Eastern Europe。 Garton Ash is a journalist and it shows through in his writing， making the book both an excellent witness account as well as a well researched text。 With Russia and Eastern Europe back in the news recently， I think the Magic Lantern is a great read and provides excellent insight into a region with a dynamic political history。" 。。。more
Spencer
，
This is a must read for anyone interested in how the sausage got made in the revolutionary （or counter-revolutionary） politics of the late eastern block countries。
Kirsten
，
Definitely read this before， maybe a different edition？ Was there a czech-only version？ Anyway， it was nice to relive and as usual offered some perspective on our current situation。
Charlene
，
Good， short account of the fall of communism in 1989 in Poland， Hungary， East Germany and Czechoslovakia by a journalist who was covering the events。 This was "written in the moment"， published in 1990。 Longest section covers the last of the revolutions， the one in Prague; Ash was a personal friend of revolution's leader， the author and playwright， Vaclav Havel。 Title refers to the theatre， the Magic Lantern， where the planning took place。 Author speculates about the future for these countries 。 Good， short account of the fall of communism in 1989 in Poland， Hungary， East Germany and Czechoslovakia by a journalist who was covering the events。 This was "written in the moment"， published in 1990。 Longest section covers the last of the revolutions， the one in Prague; Ash was a personal friend of revolution's leader， the author and playwright， Vaclav Havel。 Title refers to the theatre， the Magic Lantern， where the planning took place。 Author speculates about the future for these countries 。 。 。 would like to see a new edition， with an afterword。 Appreciated that he told the story of these revolutionary moments in only 156 pages！ 。。。more
Mary
，
very informative and enlightening！ I lived through those revolutions but needed to be reminded of how it all happened， from a historic perspective。 Most encouraging was Ash's premise that a revolution can happen without violence！ The book reads like a newspaper account， but for me， looking for the facts of the events， the lack of literary excellence was not distracting。 very informative and enlightening！ I lived through those revolutions but needed to be reminded of how it all happened， from a historic perspective。 Most encouraging was Ash's premise that a revolution can happen without violence！ The book reads like a newspaper account， but for me， looking for the facts of the events， the lack of literary excellence was not distracting。 。。。more
David
，
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。 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。 。。。more
Mohammad Ali
，
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 استترجمه هم معقوله ول 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 استترجمه 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 。。。more
Mostafa
，
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。
Brigid
，