Čestmír Císař (2 January 1920 – 24 March 2013) was a Czech and

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He served as the first Chairman of the

Czech National Council The Czech National Council ( cs, Česká národní rada, ČNR) was the legislative body of the Czech Republic since 1968 when the Czech Republic was created as a member state of Czech-Slovak federation. It was legally transformed into the Cham ...

from 1968 to 1969 when the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

was part of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

during the Communist era. A leading advocate for reforms of the Communist Party, Císař introduced a series of liberal reforms to

Communist Czechoslovakia The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, ČSSR, formerly known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic or Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 to 29 March 1990, when it was renamed the Czechoslovak ...

, becoming a major figure in the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...

as a result. He sought to create a new form of socialism with a "human face." His reforms were repealed following the 1968

Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...

. He was removed from office and expelled from the Communist Party until the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

of 1989. Císař was born in Hostomice nad Bílinou on 2 January 1920. He studied at Lycée Carnot in

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He attended

Charles University in Prague Charles University ( cs, Univerzita Karlova, UK; la, Universitas Carolina; german: Karls-Universität), also known as Charles University in Prague or historically as the University of Prague ( la, Universitas Pragensis, links=no), is the oldest an ...

but was forced to leave the school following the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

in 1939. He worked as an accountant during the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

occupation and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He joined the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) in 1945 following the end of the war. Císař first became involved in the Communist Party's cultural programs in the western city of

Plzeň Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...

. Císař served as the department head and Secretary of the KSČ regional committee in Plzeň from 1952 to 1957. He next held the post Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) during the early 1960s. He served as the country's Minister of Culture and Education of Czechoslovakia from 1963 to 1965. However, he soon angered leaders within the Communist Party (KSČ) for openly expressing liberal viewpoints. Antonín Novotný, the President of Czechoslovakia and head of the KSČ, accused Císař of "dabbling too much with intellectuals." Novotný removed from the ministry in 1965 and sent him out of the country as the ambassador of Czechoslovakia to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

as a punishment. Antonín Novotný resigned as First Secretary of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) in January 1968 and was replaced by Alexander Dubček. Císař returned to Czechoslovakia from Romania at the behest of Dubček. Císař was one of several candidates within the Communist Party who campaigned for President of Czechoslovakia in the aftermath of Novotný's resignation from this office in March. He received widespread support from Czechoslovakian university students, as well as the support of Dubček in the KSČ election. However, Communist Party members chose General Ludvík Svoboda as the new President and head of the KSČ instead of Císař. He became the Chairman of the

in 1968, holding the office during the Prague Spring. Císař introduced a series of liberal reforms within the Communist system and he became a symbol of the Prague Spring. Císař attempted to halt the 1968 Soviet invasion which ended the Prague Spring. He was removed from office and expelled from the Communist Party (KSČ) in the aftermath of the invasion. He left politics and public life after his removal from office, taking small jobs for a living. He remained out of politics until the end of the Communist era in 1989. He briefly founded the Obroda group in 1989, a small group of reformed Communist veterans of the Prague Spring who advocated "democratic socialism" in the wake of the

. However, the group was opposed by Václav Havel and it soon disbanded. Císař returned to his former career as a

in the 1990s in an agreement with

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then as ...

. He served as the representative of Czechoslovakia to the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

from 1991 to 1992. Císař focused on his writings during the 1990s and 2000s. In 2013, he attended a victory party to celebrate the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

of Miloš Zeman as

President of the Czech Republic The president of the Czech Republic is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. The president mostly has ceremonial powers as the day-to-day business of the executive governm ...

. Čestmír Císař died on 24 March 2013 in Prague, at the age of 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cisar, Cestmir 1920 births 2013 deaths People from Teplice District Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Government ministers of Czechoslovakia Members of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia (1964–1968) Members of the Chamber of the Nations of Czechoslovakia (1969–1971) Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to Romania Czechoslovak diplomats Prague Spring Czech communists Czech male writers Czech politicians