President,
playwright, humorist, poet, dissident, and human rights activist. Vaclav Havel
was born in 1936 in Prague. The
Communist regime did not allow Havel to have a formal education after his
necessary schooling. He
worked in chemical laboratory
for four years while taking evening classes.
Havel, after
completing his military service, studied Drama from the Theater Faculty of the
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. His first play was The Garden Party that
won him international acclaim. It was staged in the lines of the Theater of the
Absurd. Although his plays became internationally popular, they were banned
from being staged in former Czecho-Slovakia.
Havel was an
outspoken dissident; he made a commentary on the Warsaw Pact invasion of
Czecho-Slovakia events on Radio Free Czecho-Slovakia. And then got arrested.
Havel became the
President of former Czecho-Slovakia in 1989. He again became President of the
Czech Republic in 1993 after its formation from the Czech-Slovakia split. He is
known for the release of some political prisoners after the collapse of the Communist
regime who he believed did not receive a fair trial in the past.
Havel was
politically active from the events of the Prague Spring and became famous for
his role in the human rights Manifesto, Charter 77 in 1977. He was the leader
of the opposition party and he was imprisoned for years.
In 1989, after the
Velvet Revolution, he became President.
He was part of entry
of the former Warsaw-Pact alliance nations into NATO and for Czech Republic’s
entry into the European Union.
Havel’s belief in
non-violence around brought him several admirers. Bill Clinton compared him
to Gandhi while Margaret Thatcher’s
discussed her admiration and respect for Vaclav Havel for his belief in
democracy. Havel lived by the motto, “Truth and love must prevail over lies and
hate.”
Havel was Chair of
the International Council of the Human Rights Foundation. He supported the
Czech Green Party.
Vaclav Havel died in his sleep in his 75 years in
2011.
Many people admired him and here are the reactions to
his death.
A great fighter for the freedom of nations and for
democracy has died . . . His outstanding voice of wisdom will be missed in
Europe, which is going through a serious crisis. I am praying for the peace of
his soul" — Solidarity
founder and Poland's former president Lech Walesa.
"His
peaceful resistance shook the foundations of an empire, exposed the emptiness
of a repressive ideology, and proved that moral leadership is more powerful
than any weapon. ... He also embodied the aspirations of half a continent that
had been cut off by the Iron Curtain, and helped unleash tides of history that
led to a united and democratic Europe." — U.S. President Barack Obama.
"His
dedication to freedom and democracy is as unforgotten as his great humanity . .
. We Germans also have much to thank him for." — German Chancellor Angela Merkel
"No one of
my generation will ever forget those powerful scenes from Wenceslas Square two
decades ago. Havel led the Czech and Slovak people out of tyranny. And he
helped bring freedom and democracy to our entire continent. Europe owes Vaclav
Havel a profound debt. Today his voice has fallen silent. But his example and
the cause to which he devoted his life will live on" — British Prime Minister David Cameron.
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