<P> 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 . </P> <P> Under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, there was an omnipresent pressure exerted by the political apparatus on culture . Various methods were utilized to pressure citizens into compliance . Havel's philosophical mentor, Jan Patočka, who was also the co-spokesman of the human rights petition, Charter 77, died of a stroke in March 1977, after an eleven - hour interrogation by the Czechoslovak secret police regarding his involvement in the Charter . </P>

The power of the powerless by václav havel pdf
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