This week, 35 years ago, the Czech government buckled under the mounting pressure of its people. In mid-November, student protestors had ignited a revolutionary fervour on the cold streets of Prague that rapidly swelled into a nationwide movement. The president, Gustav Husak, resigned in December and appointed a new government led by non-Communists. After four long decades, Soviet-backed rule in Czechoslovakia was over.
Photographer Brian Harris was in Prague for The Independent, documenting the unfolding events on camera – the vast crowds surging through Wenceslas Square, the dramatic speeches, the student protesters and striking workers rallying support.
