Question for the Czechs, and any Slovaks for that matter: do you guys really prefer to call it the november/gentle revolution? Why wouldn't you want your coup/liberation named after Lou Reed?
Well, you should ask M. K. He started it. (Actually there were also two women that found prime minister on street and complained about policemen doing stuff to them when they did nothing. He promised them investigation, and he fulfilled the promise.)
I'm just happy the date somehow happened to be the same date as birthdays of my granny. Don't ask about details.
Original reason wasn't to become liberated, or get western culture. While Russian troops were stationed on czech territory, they behaved nicely because they seen theirs position as a chance to live in western country. Yes they removed them without much ado, but strangely nowadays they are replaced by significantly more harmful Ukrainians. And as for culture, czechs and slovaks thought they have enough theirs own culture, more TV shows and funny stuff to get proper variety wouldn't hurt of course. (Well, what hurt was when they started to pay commercial prices of TV shows. TV stations were no longer property of state, and they were treated as any other commercial TV stations.)
Original reason was to ensure of higher freedom and to reduce rights of police. And also to change economy more towards market economy because theirs version needed reforms. Theirs original goal was to be the same as economy of current China. (Which is still socialistic country, but it has market economy.)
Well, in 10 years it turned into ODS was doing the same stuff as these who were originally supposed to be kicked out of party for underhanded behavior and robbery. Of course ODS has its voters seduced that everything bad that was happening was only because of remnants of decisions of these before revolution.
25 year later, they are robbing the same as these rich who was robing country before revolution, whose were not in the party, because they would have someone above them who would have right to do something against them. They had no reason to expose theirs hide during socialism they were very happy to not be directly in political structures, thus these non-economic reforms did nothing. (If you looked at recent president election, you seen one candidate supported by one millionaire, second candidate by second one, third by third one... Direct presidential election. It's disaster waiting for chance to elect someone who would fuck up the country, supported by a millionaire. Soros have a chance.
Things didn't become better, just society decided to ignore mishaps and grievances they were not willing to tolerate during socialism. And nowadays people can screw up poor/old more easily, thus they have theirs entertainment. Why would they need another reform?
3 years ago, I heard one czech who was saying 1.5. communists are making noise in front of my house, and the scary thing about that is majority of what they are saying is making a sense. Well, I guess nowadays the more shunned parts of society are the more honest.
The term velvet revolution was just a journalist invention.