Antonín Kapek

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Antonín Kapek (born June 6, 1922 in Roudnice nad Labem , † May 23, 1990 in Svinná ) was a Czechoslovak communist politician and high functionary of the communist party KSČ . He was one of the most famous proponents of the crackdown on the Prague Spring .

Life

Kapek studied mechanical engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague from 1949 to 1953 and then became a machine fitter in the ČKD concern . He soon took on the positions of technology engineer, chief engineer and operations director until he became general director of the group in 1965, which he remained until 1968.

Kapek joined the KSČ in 1945, since 1958 he became a member of the Central Committee (until 1989), 1962–1968 presidium candidate and 1970–1988 presidium member of the Central Committee, he also held high positions in the Prague organization of the Communist Party. From 1964 to 1989 he was a member of parliament.

In 1968 he belonged to the conservative, Stalinist wing of the KSČ. He wrote a personal letter to the General Secretary of the CPSU, Leonid Brezhnev , which he sent to him on 29./30. July at the negotiations in Čierna nad Tisou . He argued here with the words “The ability of the party to take action is so paralyzed today that we are no longer able to use our own resources to prevent the unfavorable development from deepening. … I am therefore addressing you, Comrade Brezhnev, with the appeal and request for fraternal help from our party. ”Just a few days later, he and four other party officials signed the so-called letter of invitation , in which Soviet intervention was also clearly requested .

After the crackdown on the Prague Spring , he became one of the main activists of the so-called Čechie group, which brought together over 500 ultra-conservative party cadres. He played a decisive role in the realization of the so-called normalization .

In February 1990 he was expelled from the party. He died by suicide in May 1990.

swell

  • Zakázaný document. Zpráva komise ÚV KSČ o politických procesech a rehabilitacích v Československu 1949-68 (Prohibited document. Report of the Commission of the Central Committee of the KSČ on the political processes and rehabilitation in Czechoslovakia 1949-68), Europa-Verlag, Vienna 1970 (Czech edition), Introduction and closing words by Jiří Pelikán

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ František Janáček, Marie Michálková, Příběh zvacího dopisu (The Story of the Letter of Invitation), in: Soudobé dějiny 1/1993 (Journal of the Academy of Sciences), p. 95, online at: www.68.usd.cas.cz (PDF ; 6.0 MB), Czech, accessed July 23, 2010
  2. ↑ F. Čapka: Dějiny zemí Koruny české v datech, online at: libri.cz/databaze/
  3. ↑ A New York Times item dated May 24, 1990, online at query.nytimes.com , accessed July 23, 2010
personal data
SURNAME Kapek, Antonín
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czechoslovak communist politician
DATE OF BIRTH June 6, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Roudnice nad Labem
DATE OF DEATH May 23, 1990
Place of death Svinná