In November-December 1989, peaceful protests led by students and intellectuals toppled the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Key figures like Vaclav Havel formed Civic Forum. It resulted in democratic transition and the country's split into Czech and Slovak republics, part of the broader Eastern European revolutions ending the Cold War.

The Velvet Revolution in 1989, led by playwright Václav Havel, underscored the power of literature in political dissent. This movement inspired a wave of Central European poetry that addressed themes of freedom and the absurdity of totalitarianism, influencing poets like Adam Zagajewski.