# Havel Week 2023 **URL:** **Published:** October 2, 2023 --- A week-long celebration of the legacy of Czech writer, dissident, and politician Václav Havel. > Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance. — Václav Havel This week at Libertarianism.org we are celebrating Václav Havel, the Czech poet and playwright who played a key role in opposing the totalitarian regime in post-World War II Czechoslovakia. Havel’s principled and courageous stand contributed to the 1989[Velvet Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_Revolution) that peacefully toppled the communist regime. Though Havel’s immediate target was the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, his critique of ideology and its corrupting influence applies to both totalitarian and liberal regimes alike. As part of Havel Week, Libertarianism.org will be releasing the first two episodes of our new podcast, _The Liberty Exchange_, where Jonathan Fortier will be interviewing professors Milan Babík and Flagg Taylor about anti-communist dissent in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and its relevance to the fight for freedom today. This post will be updated with links to all of the content related to Havel Week. ## New on Libertarianism.org This Week Introductory Video: [Celebrating Havel’s Place](https://www.libertarianism.org/videos/celebrating-havels-place) by Landry Ayres _Portraits of Liberty_ Episode 51, [A Monument to Freedom of Speech: Havel’s Place](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/portraits-of-liberty/a-monument-to-freedom-of-speech-havels-place) by Paul Meany [Havel and the Ideological Temptation](https://www.libertarianism.org/articles/havel-and-ideological-temptation) by Flagg Taylor, a review of David Gilbreath Barton’s _Havel: Unfinished Revolution_ _The Liberty Exchange_ Episode 1, [The Velvet Revolution and ](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/the-liberty-exchange/the-velvet-revolution-and-v-clav-havel)[Václav Havel](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/the-liberty-exchange/the-velvet-revolution-and-v-clav-havel) with Jonathan Fortier and Milan Babík [Havel’s Masterwork: _The Power of the Powerless_](https://www.libertarianism.org/articles/havels-masterwork-power-powerless) by Jonathan Fortier [No Liberty without Responsibility: Hayek and Havel](https://www.libertarianism.org/articles/no-liberty-without-responsibility-hayek-and-havel) by Paul Meany _The Liberty Exchange_ Episode 2, [Havel on Authenticity, Responsibility, and Freedom](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/the-liberty-exchange/havel-on-authenticity-responsibility-and-freedom) with Jonathan Fortier and Flagg Taylor ## From the Archives _Portraits of Liberty_ Episode 39, [Poet Turned President: Václav Havel](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/portraits-of-liberty/poet-turned-president-v-clav-havel) by Paul Meany