Vladimír "Vlado" Clementis (20 September 1902 – 3 December 1952) was a Slovak politician, lawyer, publicist, literary critic, author and a prominent member of the

Czechoslovak Communist Party 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 Comi ...

. Between 1948 and 1950, he served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

of Czechoslovakia. In 1952, he was accused of "

Titoism Titoism is a Types of socialism, socialist political philosophy most closely associated with Josip Broz Tito and refers to the ideology and policies of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) during the Cold War. It is characterized by a br ...

" and "national deviation" during the

Slánský trial The Slánský trial (officially English: "Trial of the Leadership of the Anti-State Conspiracy Centre Headed by Rudolf Slánský") was a 1952 antisemiticBlumenthal, Helaine. (2009). Communism on Trial: The Slansky Affair and Anti-Semitism in P ...

and executed.

Biography

After attending gymnasium in

Skalica Skalica (, , Latin: ''Sakolcium'') is the largest town in Skalica District in western Slovakia in the Záhorie region. Located near the Czech Republic, Czech border, Skalica has a population of around 15,000. Etymology The name is derived from Slo ...

, Clementis studied in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

before graduating with a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Law of

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. During his studies, he took an interest in the philosophy of

Emanuel Rádl Emanuel Rádl (December 21, 1873 – May 12, 1942) was an original Czech biologist, historian of science, philosopher and a critical supporter of Masaryk´s pre-war democratic Czechoslovakia. He earned international renown by his works on the ...

, František Krejčí and Vilém Forster. He also served as co-editor of '' Dav'', a cultural and political journal that had broad influence in inter-war Czechoslovakia, particularly among Slovaks. As editor of ''Dav'', Clementis published works by writers such as Martin Rázus, Milo Urban, Ján Smrek, Gejza Vámoš and T. Gašpar. In addition, together with Novomeský and modernist artists such as

Ľudovít Fulla Ľudovít Fulla (27 February 1902, Ružomberok – 21 April 1980, Bratislava) was a Slovak painter, graphic artist, illustrator, stage designer and art teacher. He is considered one of the most important figures of Slovak creative art in the 20th ...

and

Mikuláš Galanda Mikuláš Galanda (4 May 1895 – 5 June 1938) was a painter and illustrator who was one of the most important pioneers and propagators of Slovak modern art. He is buried in the National Cemetery in Martin. Birth and education He was born in ...

, the editorial of ''Dav'' designed original modern graphics supplemented by contemporary artists. Another contribution of Clementis was the sociographic tours of the Davists to

Kysuce Kysuce is a traditional informal name of a region in north-western Slovakia, situated around the Kysuca, Kysuca river and bordering the Orava region in the east, Poland in the north and the Czech Republic in the west. It consists of two districts: ...

and Horehronie, which contributed to the awareness of the social situation at that time. He also stirred up a discussion about the bloody events in Košúty in May 1931, where protesters were shot and killed during a strike, by writing letters to

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

Henri Barbusse Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist, short story writer, journalist, poet and political activist. He began his literary career in the 1890s as a Symbolist poet and continued as a neo-Naturalist novelist; i ...

and

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...

. A member 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 Com ...

(KSČ) from 1925, Clementis ran a law practice in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

from the early 1930s, while also organizing communist cells in Slovakia. From 1935, he was a deputy of the KSČ to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. After the occupation of the Czech lands by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

shortly before the beginning of

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 ...

, he emigrated to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1938. His public criticism of the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

in 1939 directly contradicted the policies of the KSČ leadership, at this point exiled to Moscow, and triggered an intra-party investigation overseen by

Viliam Široký Viliam Široký (31 May 1902 – 6 October 1971) was a prominent communist politician of Czechoslovakia. He served as Prime Minister from 1953 to 1963, and was also the leader of the Communist Party of Slovakia between 1945 and 1954. Biogra ...

. In the summer of 1940 Clementis left Paris for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where he was interned in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

for a period of time because of his communist views. After his release, he was appointed by

Edvard Beneš Edvard Beneš (; 28 May 1884 – 3 September 1948) was a Czech politician and statesman who served as the president of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938, and again from 1939 to 1948. During the first six years of his second stint, he led the Czec ...

to the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

-based

Czechoslovak National Council The Czechoslovak National Council (or Czecho-Slovak National Council) was an organization founded by Czech and Slovak émigrés during World War I to liberate their homeland from Austria-Hungary. During the closing weeks of the war, the Czechoslov ...

. He also made radio broadcasts during the

Slovak National Uprising Slovak National Uprising ( Slovak: ''Slovenské národné povstanie'', abbreviated SNP; alternatively also ''Povstanie roku 1944'', English: ''The Uprising of 1944'') was organised by the Slovak resistance during the Second World War, directed ag ...

, calling on the Slovak people to join the fight against Nazi Germany. During the Bratislava–Brno offensive, he unsuccessfully complained to Marshal

Ivan Konev Ivan Stepanovich Konev ( rus, Ива́н Степа́нович Ко́нев, p=ɪˈvan sʲtʲɪˈpanəvʲɪtɕ ˈkonʲɪf, links=no; 28 December 1897 – 21 May 1973) was a Soviet general and Marshal of the Soviet Union who led Red Army forc ...

about the mass rapes by

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

soldiers against Czechoslovak civilians. In April 1945, Clementis was named State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in Zdeněk Fierlinger's government, which was formed in

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

during the retreat of the German forces. After the

Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 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 Re ...

, which he helped organise, he succeeded

Jan Masaryk Jan Garrigue Masaryk (14 September 1886 – 10 March 1948) was a Czech diplomat and politician who served as the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1940 to 1948. American journalist John Gunther described Masaryk as "a brave, honest, turbule ...

as Minister of Foreign Affairs. As Deputy Minister, Clementis supported Czechoslovakia's rejection of the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...

in July 1947. He also opted for the incorporation of the area west of the Olza river and the

Kłodzko Valley The Kłodzko Valley (, , ) a valley in the Sudetes mountain range, that covers the central part of Kłodzko County in south-western Poland, with the southern tip extending to the Czech Republic around the town of Králíky. The chief and larges ...

into Czechoslovakia, which led to a conflict with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was instrumental in organizing Czechoslovakia's part in

Operation Balak Operation Balak was a smuggling operation, during the founding of Israel in 1948, that purchased arms in Europe to avoid various embargoes and boycotts transferring them to the Yishuv. Of particular note was the delivery of 23 Czechoslovakia-mad ...

by providing assistance to the newly founded

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

. In 1950, Clementis was forced to resign amid accusations of being a "deviationist". He was then arrested and charged for an illegal attempt to cross the state boundaries, later changed to the more serious crime of being a "bourgeois nationalist" and participating in a

Trotskyite Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

- Titoite-

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

. After being convicted in the

, he was hanged in December 1952. His ashes were scattered on a road close to

. His wife, Lída, received only her husband's two pipes and tobacco and was discharged from a prison. Clementis was rehabilitated in 1963. A year later, his book ''Nedokončená kronika'' ("Unfinished Chronicle") was published; in 1967, a selection of his work in two volumes, ''Vzduch našich čias'' ("Air of our Times"), was published; in 1968 ''Listy z väzenia'' ("Letters from Prison"), consisting of letters between him and his wife Lída; and in 1977 the selection ''O kultúre a umení'' ("About Culture and Art"). In a famous photograph from 21 February 1948, Vladimír Clementis is seen standing next to KSČ leader and

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Klement Gottwald Klement Gottwald (; 23 November 1896 – 14 March 1953) was a Czech communist politician, who was the leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1929 until his death in 1953 – titled as general secretary until 1945 and as chairman f ...

. After the trial and execution of Clementis in 1952, he was erased from the photograph. The story is described in ''

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting ''The Book of Laughter and Forgetting'' () is a novel by Milan Kundera, published in France in 1979. It is composed of seven separate narratives united by some common themes. The book considers the nature of forgetting as it occurs in history, p ...

'' by Czech novelist

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera ( ; ; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship ...

In modern Slovakia

A sculpture of Vladimír Clementis was unveiled by the Slovak

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

Ján Kubiš Ján Kubiš (born November 12, 1952) is a Slovak diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia from July 2006 until January 2009. Kubiš was appointed United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon in 2019 by António Guterr ...

and Prime Minister

Robert Fico Robert Fico (; born 15 September 1964) is a Slovak politician who has served as the prime minister of Slovakia since 2023. He previously served as prime minister from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018. He founded the left-wing political party D ...

at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007. In 2002, 2012 and 2022, three conferences about Vladimir Clementis were organized in Bratislava. In 2022, Slovak Matica and ASA Institute organized a conference to Vladimír Clementis on the 120th anniversary of his birth. The same year,

Slovak Matica Slovak may refer to: * Something from, related to, or belonging to Slovakia (''Slovenská republika'') * Slovaks, a Western Slavic ethnic group * Slovak language, an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages * Slovak, Arkan ...

dedicated a lecture in his native Tisovec; and dedicated a bust to Vladimír Clementis in

Rimavská Sobota Rimavská Sobota (; , ) is a town in southern Slovakia, in the Banská Bystrica Region, on the Rimava river. It has approximately 24,000 inhabitants. The town is a historical capital of Gömör és Kishont County (from 1850 to 1922). Geography ...

(Alley of National Heroes).

Honours and awards

Czechoslovak honours

Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (posthumously), 29 April 1968

Foreign honours

Grand Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

, 1947

Footnotes

References

*
Biography at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clementis, Vladimir 1902 births 1952 deaths People from Tisovec People from the Kingdom of Hungary Slovak Lutherans Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Communist Party of Slovakia (1939) politicians Foreign ministers of Czechoslovakia Government ministers of Czechoslovakia Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Czechoslovakia (1935–1939) Members of the Interim National Assembly of Czechoslovakia Members of the Constituent National Assembly of Czechoslovakia Members of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia (1948–1954) 20th-century Lutherans Slovak anti-fascists Slovak Zionists People of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Slánský trial defendants Executed Czechoslovak people Executed politicians People executed by the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic by hanging Executed Slovak people