Miloš Jakeš
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2014) |
Miloš Jakeš | |
---|---|
First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia | |
In office 17 December 1987 – 24 November 1989 | |
Preceded by | Gustáv Husák |
Succeeded by | Karel Urbánek |
Personal details | |
Born | Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic) | 12 August 1922
Died | 10 July 2020 Prague, Czech Republic[1] | (aged 97)
Political party | Communist Party of Czechoslovakia |
Spouse |
Květena Jakešová
(m. 1943; died 2013) |
Miloš Jakeš (12 August 1922[3] – 10 July 2020) was a Czech communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia from 1987 until 1989.
He resigned from his position in late November 1989, amid the Velvet Revolution.
Early life
Jakeš was born in České Chalupy, now part of
Party leader
Following the ouster of Gustáv Husák at a dramatic party meeting in December 1987, Jakeš was nominated for the position of General Secretary by the competing factions within the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Following his rise to power, Jakeš began to promote himself as a supporter of glasnost and perestroika. Yet, despite the Communist Party's attempt to appease the public's demands for reform, Jakeš remained staunchly opposed to any dialogue with the growing opposition movement in the country. Even when the Velvet Revolution broke out, Jakeš refused to consider any serious talks with the opposition. Events soon overtook him, and on 24 November he resigned along with the party's entire Presidium. The Communists officially abandoned power four days later.
As General Secretary Jakeš used the first name Miloš. During the trial it was revealed that his actual name is Milouš.[citation needed]
Speech in Červený Hradek
Jakeš gained unwanted infamy through his famous speech addressed to local party workers in Červený Hrádek close to Plzeň. When speaking about the necessity of Gorbachev-inspired "perestroika", he presented himself and the party as a lonely pole plank being allegedly left alone to overcome the hardships. On the same occasion he mistook the word broiler (type of chicken) for boiler and spoke in an embarrassingly familiar way about some Czech pop music singers when pointing to their allegedly super-high incomes ("None of us earns so much!"). His speech had been recorded by a journalist from Czech television who managed to secretly make a copy of the tape. The recording was frequently copied among the people in the summer of 1989 and afterwards.[4]
Later life and death
Jakeš lived in
Jakeš died on 10 July 2020, at the age of 97.[5]
References
- ^ "Index J".
- ^ "Zdrcený papaláš Jakeš: Přišel o vnuka, teď pohřbil i manželku Květenu!". 9 December 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-135-17932-8.
- Česká televize. Event occurs at 16:48. Retrieved 22 February 2008. – history of the recording from Červený Hrádek and its leakage from the Czech Television (video) (in Czech)
- ^ Zemřel Miloš Jakeš (in Czech)
External links
- Parts of the speech in Červený Hrádek (audio) (in Czech)
- Projev Miloše Jakeše na Červeném Hrádku v Archivu ČT24 Archived 8 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine – parts of the video recording of the speech in Červený Hrádek (in Czech)
- 168 hodin – Miloš Jakeš v listopadu 1989 (embedded flash video) (Television production) (in Czech). Prague, Czech Republic: Česká televize. 8 November 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2011. – Contains parts of rare interview with Milouš Jakeš from 2003.