A very nice shaped OF badge 3.5cm high, made of a gold coloured metal and with a safety pin style clasp to the rear. Featuring the 'V' sign of victory and the Czechoslovak national colours. (not the Soviet red ones that were dominant for 40 years!) This Obcanske Forum badge would have been worn by a supporter of democracy in a very turbulent time in Czechoslovakia, the communists were still in power and in trying to hold on to their power base would persecute people supporting democracy. It was not uncommon for enemies of the state to go missing, so a democratic OF badge made a singularly strong statement and took courage to wear.
In 1989 Czechoslovakia staged a revolution against the communist government, the OF was a political group made up of all parties opposed to the totalitarian regime and in the first free elections that the country had seen since WW2 thet secured over 80% of the vote.
Vaclav Havel, a playwright, author and a man who was imprisoned and persecuted by the communists for his view, was elected as the head of the party.
The transition of Czechoslovakia into a democratic state was arguably the most important date in the country's history, in a short number of years Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic and Slovakia, joined NATO, became part of the shengen states and the EU.