Valtr Komárek
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Valtr Komarek (10 August 1930 – 16 May 2013) was a Czech
economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
, forecaster and
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. A participant in the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...
in 1989, Komárek subsequently entered politics a part of the
Czech Social Democratic Party Social Democracy (, SOCDEM), known as the Czech Social Democratic Party (, ČSSD) until 10 June 2023, is a social democratic political party in the Czech Republic. Sitting on the centre-left of the political spectrum and holding pro-European ...
(ČSSD), leading the party into elections in 1992, and serving as honorary chairman of the party from March 2011. He also served as First Deputy Minister of National Understanding, and as an MP in the Federal Assembly. He is considered one of the key figures of the Velvet Revolution and post-revolution politics and economics.


Life

Komárek was born in
Hodonín Hodonín (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Geography Hodonín is located about southeast of Brno, on the border with Slovakia. It lies in a flat landscape of the Lower Morava Va ...
to a Jewish family. His parents died during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in a concentration camp, but Valtr was placed in foster care and survived
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. After the war he joined 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 Com ...
(KSČ). He graduated from the Economic Institute in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
in the 1960s and worked in the State Planning Commission and the economics section of the Politburo of the KSČ Central Committee. From 1964 until 1967 he worked in
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
as a consultant to
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
. In 1968 he belonged to a group of economists who participated in preparing the economic reforms known as the
Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
. He was general secretary of the Economic Council of Czechoslovakia from the beginning of 1968 until 1971, when he was transferred to the federal pricing authority due to his reformist views. Gradually he returned to higher professional positions. From 1978, Komárek worked as a researcher at the Economic Institute of the
Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Czech: ''Československá akademie věd'', Slovak: ''Česko-slovenská akadémia vied'') was established in 1953 to be the scientific center for Czechoslovakia. It was succeeded by the Czech Academy of Science ...
. From 1984 he was director of the Forecasting Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy, heading a team handling proposals for possible amendments. Other members of the institute included
Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...
,
Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
, Tomáš Ježek, Vladimír Dlouhý, and Miloslav Ransdorf. In November 1989 he worked with
Civic Forum The Civic Forum (, 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 ( – VPN). The Civic Forum's purpo ...
, and was appointed First Vice-President on 10 December 1989 in
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 ...
Government of National Unity. From April until June 1990 he was Deputy Prime Minister. Initially one of the most popular economic ministers in government, he later lost influence and was omitted from the government after the 1990 elections. In the 1990 elections he was elected to parliament for Civic Forum, representing the
Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...
. When Civic Forum disbanded in 1991, he joined ČSSD, leading the party's election campaign in elections in 1992, at which he defended his mandate. He remained in the Federal Assembly until the
dissolution of Czechoslovakia The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on December 31, 1992, was the Self-determination, self-determined Partition (politics), partition of the federal republic of Fifth Czechoslovak Republic, Czechoslovakia into the independent ...
, of which he was a strong critic. Following the dissolution, and the abolition of the Forecasting Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy, Komárek withdrew from public life. From March 2011, he served as honorary chairman of ČSSD. His son Martin Komárek (born 1961) is a journalist and politician. He died on 16 May 2013 in Prague, following complications from heart surgery. President
Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...
and other political figures described his death as a great loss for Czech society.


Bibliography (selection)

* 1990 - ''Prognosis and program'',
Academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
, * 1991 - ''Endangered revolution'', parallel bars, * 2004 - ''Chronicle of despair and hope'', Academia - two parts autobiographical novel, Volume 1 . Part 2


Awards

* 11 August 2010 - He was awarded a Golden Plaque by President
Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...
for his contribution to the economic transformation and the social debate about the direction of the Czech economy and politics * 28 October 2016 - He posthumously received the Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Order from President
Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komarek, Valtr 1930 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Czech Jews 21st-century Czech Jews Czech Social Democratic Party MPs Communist Party of Czechoslovakia politicians Jewish Czech politicians People from Hodonín