Oldřich Švestka ( czech Oldřich Švestka ; March 24, 1922, Duby - June 8, 1983, Prague ) - a Czechoslovak communist politician, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KPCH), editor of the Ore Law . Adhered to the neo-Stalinist positions, was opposed to the Prague Spring . He signed an appeal to the leadership of the CPSU with a call to intervene in the Czechoslovak events, which created a pretext for the introduction of the Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968 . In the 1970s and early 1980s, he was one of the main ideologues of “ normalization ”.
Oldrich Shvestka | |
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ches Oldřich Švestka | |
Date of Birth | March 24, 1922 |
Place of Birth | Dubie |
Date of death | June 8, 1983 (61 years) |
Place of death | Prague |
Citizenship | Czechoslovakia |
Occupation | party functionary and journalist, member of the Politburo, secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, editor Rude Pravo |
The consignment | Czechoslovak Communist Party (CHR) |
Main ideas | communism |
Awards | || || || |
Content
Communist editor
He graduated from a commercial school in Louny . During the Nazi occupation, he worked at a cotton factory, then at a metallurgical plant. He was on the board of the bank and consumer cooperative in the city of German Brod (from 1945 - Havlichkuv Brod) [1] . Contacted with the communist underground [2] .
On June 1, 1945 Oldrich Shvestka joined the Czechoslovak Communist Party (CPC). He served in the administration (National Committee) Havlickuv Brod. He advanced in the party apparatus along an ideological line.
Since 1951 Oldrich Shvestka - deputy editor-in-chief of the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Russia Rude law . October 7, 1958 appointed editor-in-chief. In 1962, Oldrich Shvestka was co-opted into the Central Committee of the Communist Party. In 1963 - 1969 was in the ideological commission of the Central Committee [3] .
Opponent of the Prague Spring
Oldrich Shvestka was one of the main ideologists of the KPCH. He held orthodox- Stalinist , then neo-Stalinist positions. By virtue of ideological dogmatism, he hostile to the reforms of the Prague Spring .
However, it was in April 1968 that Shvestka became a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia — in this way, Aleksandr Dubcek and his supporters tried to strike a balance in relations with the conservative wing of the Communist Party. Schvestka was subjected to harsh criticism from professional journalists for the dogmatic ideologization of the creative process [4] . In a compromise, he was removed from editing the mass publication Rude Pravo and was transferred to the editorial board of the theoretical weekly Tribune .
Oldrich Shvestka joined the counter-reform group of Vasil Bilak , Alois Indra and William Shalgovich . On August 8, 1968, he published in the “Ore Law” an introductory article entitled “Historical Meaning and Responsibility”, which referred to “overcoming the previous stages of development by the Czechoslovak Communists”. Subsequently, it became clear that they were talking about the imminent completion of reforms [5] .
Together with Bilyak, Indra, Antonin Kapek and Dragomir Colder, Shvestka signed the so-called. The “invitation letter” to the CPSU Central Committee is an appeal for “help and support by all available means” to “rescue from the danger of inevitable counterrevolution”. A few days after the transfer of this document, on August 21, 1968 , the Warsaw Pact troops entered Czechoslovakia [6] .
Ideologue of "Normalization"
After the suppression of the Prague Spring, Politburo member and secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party Oldrich Shvestka headed the ideological apparatus of the conservative " normalization ". From September 1969 he headed the special bureau of party management in the Czech Socialist Republic . In February 1970 - headed the departments of ideology, culture and education in the Central Committee. He also became chairman of the party control commission for the education system. Its immediate leader at that time was ideology secretary Vasil Bilak.
From April 1972 Shvestka headed the Central Committee of the media. In December 1972, this department was integrated and transformed into a department of propaganda and agitation. The head was Vasil Beyda , the curator was the secretary of the Central Committee of Shvestka [1] (formally equated to Bilak). From 1971 to 1983, Shvestka was also a deputy to the Federal Assembly .
In all the posts of Oldrich Shvestka sought total ideological control, he rigidly pursued any manifestations of dissent, especially among young people. It was established hard censorship. Socialist-oriented groups were suppressed in the same way as human rights and general democratic ones. Shveska emphasized that the HRC suppresses "not only right opportunism, but also leftist manifestations" [7] . The system of party propaganda in the press, on television and radio, through thematic lectures and visits to ideological objects (for example, party museums) with controlled attendance, has acquired an unprecedented scale and method. It is characteristic that in April 1971, Shvestka stopped the functioning of the commission for the rehabilitation of victims of political repression.
Some reduction of Shvestka’s powers took place in 1975 when he returned to the post of chief editor of Rude Pravo (he held this position until the end of his life). At the same time, he ceased to be the secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party [1] , but remained a member of the secretariat of the Central Committee (these statuses differed in the structure of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia).
Oldrich Shvestka was awarded the Order of Labor, the Order of the Republic , the Order of the Victory February , the Order of Clement Gottwald . All these awards took place from 1970 to 1982 - during the period of maximum advancement of Schvestka in the party hierarchy [3] .
Oldrich Shvestka died at the age of 61 years. A certain symbolism consisted in the fact that exactly a week after the death of the ideologist of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union a plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU opened, devoted to ideological issues and stood in the near key of the deceased.
See also
- Vaclav Kopetsky
Notes
- 2 1 2 3 Národní archiv - KSČ - Ústřední výbor 1945-1989. Kancelář tajemníka ÚV KSČ Oldřicha Švestky
- ↑ Oldřich Švestka novinář, politik
- ↑ 1 2 Oldřich ŠVESTKA
- ↑ Oldrich Svestka Tschechoslowakischer Parteifunktionär und Journalist; KPTsch
- ↑ 8. srpen 1968: Zrádce Švestka, zelené zlato a Tito
- ↑ Zvací dopisy byly dva. Soudruzi je psali ve spěchu a nikdy se nepřiznali
- ↑ Jak "pancéřové divize" bránily socialismus