Václav Benda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Václav Benda
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| Born | 8 August 1946 |
| Died | 2 June 1999 (aged 52) |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Education | Charles University |
| Occupation | politician, academic |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Party (1990–1996) Civic Democratic Party (1996–1999) |
| Spouse(s) | Kamila Bendová |
| Children | 6 |
Václav Benda (born August 8, 1946, in Prague – died June 2, 1999) was a smart Czech man who was a Roman Catholic activist and a mathematician. During the time when Czechoslovakia was under Communist rule, Benda and his wife were among the few strong Christians leading the group Charter 77. This group worked against the Communist government. After the Velvet Revolution, which brought an end to Communist rule, Benda led a group that looked into the actions of the former secret police and their many helpers.
Benda wrote an important essay called A Parallel Polis. His ideas in this essay influenced other famous people who spoke out against the government, like Václav Havel and Lech Wałęsa. These ideas have also been shared more recently by an American writer named Rod Dreher. The first English version of Benda's collected essays, which were secretly published (called samizdat), came out in 2017.
Contents
Václav Benda's Life Story
Václav Benda was the son of a lawyer. He was very bright and became president of the Students' Academic Council. He earned a high degree in Philosophy from Charles University in Prague when he was 24 years old.
Early Career and Challenges
Benda's career in academics ended early. This happened because he refused to join the Communist Party in the early 1970s. Because he was involved in political activities, the government caused him trouble. He found it hard to get a steady job and had to work many different short-term jobs.
In August 1968, when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia, Benda and his wife Kamila decided to stay in their country. He continued his studies at Charles University. In 1975, Benda finished his advanced degree in a field called theoretical cybernetics. He also wrote books about philosophy and mathematics. After that, he worked as a computer programmer.
Joining the Dissident Movement
Benda was very active in the movement that opposed the Communist government. In 1977, he became one of the people who signed Charter 77. This was a document that called for human rights in Czechoslovakia.
In the same year, 1977, he wrote a short, secretly published essay called "Parallel Polis" (which means "parallel society"). In this essay, he told other people who were speaking out against the government to stop hoping that the unfair social, economic, and political systems in Czechoslovakia could be changed by protests. Instead, Benda suggested that people should create new "parallel institutions." These new groups and organizations would be more helpful to people's needs. He believed that one day, these new institutions could replace the old, corrupt ones. He argued that the Communist state would stop any attempts to change things from within. So, it was better to start new things than to waste energy fighting the old ones. This essay was translated into English in 1978.
Imprisonment and Continued Activism
Because Benda was a spokesman for Charter 77, he was arrested in May 1979. He was accused of trying to overthrow the state. He was put in prison until 1983. After he was released, he continued his role as a spokesman for Charter 77. He also helped start the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted (VONS). While Benda was in prison with Václav Havel in Ostrava, they wrote a document together for the Moscow Helsinki Group in 1980.
Political Career After Communism
Václav Benda was a very religious Roman Catholic. In 1989, he started the Christian Democratic Party. He became its leader in 1990. This party later joined with the Civic Democratic Party.
From 1991 to 1998, Benda was in charge of an office that investigated the crimes committed by officials of the Communist Party. This was an important role in helping the country move forward after the end of Communist rule.
In 1996, he was elected to the Czech Senate for the Prague 1 area. He held this position until he passed away in 1999.
Václav Benda's Legacy
Benda's ideas about a "Parallel Polis" have been used again by different groups. For example, a four-story building called "Parallel Polis" has opened in Prague. This building has a cafe that only accepts bitcoin, a shared workspace, a lab for makers, and an "Institute of cryptoanarchy" in Holešovice.
In his 2017 book called The Benedict Option, the author Rod Dreher praised Benda's ideas. He suggested that American Christians could use Benda's essays as an example of how to keep and live their faith in a world that might not always agree with it.
See also
In Spanish: Václav Benda para niños
