November 29, 2018

NOVEMBER 29 - DAILY CHRONICLES OF HISTORY

NOVEMBER 29

1830

November Uprising Broke Out.  On November 29, 1830,  an armed rebellion broke out in the heart of occupied Poland, against the Russian Empire.  Polish officers from the local army of the Congress Poland's military academy, led by Lieutenant Piotr Sysocki, attacked the Belweder Palace, the main seat of the Grand Duke. In the midst of the rebellion the Grand Duke Constantine had managed to escape wearing women's clothing.  The Poles were joined by large contingents from Lithuania, Belarus, and the right-bank of the Ukraine.  The rebels then turned to the main city arsenal, capturing it after a brief struggle. And the following day, armed Polish civilians forced the Russian troops to withdraw north of Warsaw. This incident is also referred to as the Warsaw Uprising or the November Night. Despite initial successes by the Poles, the uprising was eventually crushed by the powerful Imperial Russian Army.  Tsar Nicholas I decreed that from then on, Poland was to be integrated as part of Russia, and that the great city of Warsaw would be made little more than a military garrison. Polish Universities were also closed. The final spark that ignited the rebellion was news of a Russian plot to use the Polish Army to suppress France's July Revolution and the Belgian Revolution, which was in violation of the Polish constitution.


1939

German U-35 was scuttled.  On November 29, 1939 the crew of the U-35 scuttled its vessel in the North Sea (coordinates: 60°53′N 02°47′E) following a depth charge launched by the British destroyers Kingston, Icarus, and Kashmir.  The commander of the British fleet, Lord Louis Mountbatten, took an extraordinary initiative by ordering his ships to stop and launch boats to rescue the crew of the German submarine, which was then adrift in water.  All 43 men on board survived and were taken prisoner.   In her short service during WW2, U-35 had conducted two war patrols, sank four allied vessels totaling 7,850 tons, and damaged one vessel of around 6,014 tons.(NB. Lord Mountbatten was the uncle of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, and second cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II.).


1989

The Velvet Revolution.  On November 29, 1989 the Federal Assembly of then-Czechoslovakia deleted the provision in the constitution which had referred to the "leading role" of the Communist Party, thus officially ending forty-one years of communist rule.  This paramount event was preceded by a twelve day revolution which ended with the vicious beating of protesters.  The victory of the revolution was topped off by the election of Vaclav Havel as President of Czechoslovakia (on December 29, 1989).   Havel negotiated the removal of 73,500 Soviet troops from Czechoslovakian soil,  which was carried out in a few months.  Free elections were held in June 1990 which legitimized the government. The  Presidential agenda called for addressing the remnants of the Communist party's power, and the legacy of the Communist era.  For several months leading up to and during the revolution, citizens disseminated their demands through the massive distribution of flyers sharing their ideals.  One of the most widely circulated flyer was titled "The Eight Rules of Dialogue". It advocated for truth, understanding and empathy, informed and respectful discussion, abstention from ad hominem attacks, and an open mind.  Ideals such as democracy, freedom, nonviolence, fairness, and humanness were major themes, as well as self-organisation, political representation, and improved working conditions.


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