Ladislav Adamec (10 September 1926 – 14 April 2007) was a

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 ...

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

politician.

Early life

Adamec was born in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

on 10 September 1926.

Career

Adamec joined the Presidium in March 1987 and served as the prime minister of the

Czech Socialist Republic The Czech Socialist Republic ( cs, Česká socialistická republika, ČSR) was a republic within the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The name was used from 1 January 1969 to November 1989, when the previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed ...

from March 1987 to 1988. Upon the retirement of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Lubomír Štrougal Lubomír Štrougal (born 19 October 1924) is a Czech former politician, who was the prime minister of Czechoslovakia from 1970 to 1988. Life and career Štrougal was born in Veselí nad Lužnicí. After compulsory service in German industry ...

on 12 October 1988, he assumed the role, thus serving as the last Communist prime minister of Czechoslovakia. He served in the post from 12 October 1988 to 7 December 1989.

Marián Čalfa Marián Čalfa (born 7 May 1946, in Trebišov) is a Slovak former politician, who served as prime minister of Czechoslovakia during and after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, as well as de facto acting President for 19 days. He was a key figure in ...

succeeded Adamec as prime minister. On 20 December, Adamec became general secretary of the

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Cominte ...

. However, he was not the de facto leader of the country; the party had given up its monopoly of power on 29 November. In March 1990, Adamec became the chairman of the Communist Party. The post was created with his appointment.

Velvet Revolution

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 ...

lasted from 17 November to 29 December 1989. During the

student protesters took to the streets of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

in what became an overthrow of the government. Large demonstrations that occurred on 25 and 26 November, and a public strike on 27 November, pushed the

regime into holding a conference with the

Civic Forum The Civic Forum (Czech: ''Občanské fórum'', OF) was a political movement in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, established during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The corresponding movement in Slovakia was called Public Against Violence ( Slovak: ...

. The Forum demanded that Adamec form a new government—that would include existing

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...

and

. The federal

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

under Adamec had been in contact with different leaders since 21 November and on 26 November, Adamec even addressed the crowds on

Letná Letná is a hill overlooking Prague historic centre and Vltava River just besides Prague Castle. It neighbours Stromovka, the largest park in Prague. The hill belongs to Holešovice and Bubeneč quarters of Prague 7. The main part of Letná is Le ...

Death

Adamec died on 14 April 2007, at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamec, Ladislav 1926 births 2007 deaths People from Frenštát pod Radhoštěm Leaders of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Communist Party of Czechoslovakia prime ministers Prime Ministers of Czechoslovakia Government ministers of Czechoslovakia Members of the Chamber of the Nations of Czechoslovakia (1990–1992) Czech communists Prime Ministers of the Czech Socialist Republic People of the Velvet Revolution