Václav Havel facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Václav Havel


1st President of the Czech Republic
In office 2 February 1993 – 2 February 2003
Prime Minister	Václav Klaus Josef Tošovský Miloš Zeman Vladimír Špidla
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Václav Klaus
10th President of Czechoslovakia
In office 29 December 1989 – 20 July 1992
Prime Minister	Marián Čalfa Jan Stráský
Preceded by	Gustáv Husák
Succeeded by	Jan Stráský (acting)

Personal details
Born	(1936-10-05)5 October 1936 Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic)
Died	18 December 2011(2011-12-18) (aged 75) Hrádeček, Czech Republic
Political party	Civic Forum
Spouses	Olga Šplíchalová (1964–1996, her death) Dagmar Veškrnová (1997–2011, his death)
Alma mater	Czech Technical University in Prague Faculty of Theatre
Profession	Playwright
Signature
Website	www.vaclavhavel.cz www.vaclavhavel-library.org

Václav Havel (born 5 October 1936 – died 18 December 2011) was a famous Czech playwright (someone who writes plays), essayist (someone who writes essays), and politician. He was also a dissident, meaning he spoke out against the government.

Havel was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992. After Czechoslovakia split, he became the first President of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He wrote over twenty plays and many non-fiction books. His works were translated into many languages.

From the 1960s, Havel wrote mostly about the politics of Czechoslovakia. After the Prague Spring in 1968, he became more active against the government. In 1977, he became known around the world for his work on Charter 77. This was a human rights manifesto (a public statement of beliefs). He became a leader of the opposition in Czechoslovakia and was even sent to prison for his actions.

In 1989, Havel became president during the "Velvet Revolution". This was a peaceful change in government. As president, he helped Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic become open democracies with many political parties. His country changed a lot during his thirteen years as president. The Czech Republic separated from Slovakia, even though Havel did not want this to happen. The Czech Republic also joined NATO and started working to join the European Union. The country became a member of the EU in 2004. Havel was one of the first people to sign the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism.

Growing Up in Prague
Becoming President
Awards and Honors
- State Awards from Different Countries
His Writings
Images for kids
See also

Growing Up in Prague

Václav Havel was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on 5 October 1936. He grew up in a well-known and wealthy family. His family was involved in culture and politics in Czechoslovakia from the 1920s to the 1940s. His father owned part of Barrandov, a high area in Prague. Havel's mother came from a famous family; her father was an ambassador and journalist.

Havel finished his basic schooling in 1951. However, the Communist government did not let him continue formal studies. This was because his family was considered "bourgeois," meaning they were from a wealthy, middle-class background.

In the early 1950s, young Havel started a four-year apprenticeship as a chemical laboratory assistant. He also took evening classes and finished high school in 1954. Colleges with humanities programs would not accept Havel because of his political background. So, he chose to study economics at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He left after two years. In 1964, Havel married Olga Šplíchalová. His mother did not approve of the marriage.

Becoming President

Václav Havel and Karol Sidon (left), his friend and later chief Czech rabbi

Flag of the president of the Czech Republic

Havel was already a leader of the Civic Forum, a group that pushed for change. On 29 December 1989, he became president. Every member of the Federal Assembly voted for him. This was surprising because Havel had always said he was not interested in politics. He and other dissidents believed that change should come from people directly, not from the government.

Czechoslovakia held free elections in 1990. Havel won and stayed president. Havel wanted to keep the country of Czechs and Slovaks together. He supported keeping the country united even though there was a lot of pressure to split. On 3 July 1992, the federal parliament did not elect Havel again. Slovak members of parliament did not support him. Havel resigned as president on 20 July after the Slovaks declared their independence. He ran for president of the new Czech Republic in 1993. He won and became the first president of this new, separate country.

Havel was quite popular during his time as president. However, some of his actions caused debate. One of his first actions as president was to pardon (forgive) many people. He wanted to reduce the number of people in crowded prisons. He also wanted to release people who had been put in prison unfairly during the Communist era. He believed the previous government's courts had been unfair. Critics said this amnesty (official pardon) led to more crime. In his book, To the Castle and Back, Havel wrote that most people he released had less than a year left in prison.

Havel said that the most important thing he did as president was helping to break up the Warsaw Pact. This was a group of countries that were allied with the Soviet Union. Ending this group was very complex. It took two years for Soviet troops to completely leave Czechoslovakia.

Havel was also very important in changing NATO. He helped change it from a group against the Warsaw Pact to one that includes former Warsaw Pact members. Havel strongly supported expanding this military alliance into Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic.

Václav Havel (2010)

In memory of Václav Havel – Prague Dec.19th, 2011

Awards and Honors

Václav Havel received many awards for his work. Some of these include:

The Philadelphia Liberty Medal
The freedom medal of the Four Freedoms Award
The Ambassador of Conscience Award

State Awards from Different Countries

Havel was also honored by many countries around the world. Here are some of the state awards he received:

Country	Awards	Date	Place
Argentina	Order of the Liberator San Martin Collar	09/1996	Buenos Aires
Austria	Decoration for Science and Art	11/2005	Vienna
Brazil	Order of the Southern Cross Grand Collar Order of Rio Branco Grand Cross	10/1990 09/1996	Prague Brasília
Canada	Order of Canada Honorary Companion	03/2004	Prague
Czech Republic	Order of the White Lion 1st Class (Civil Division) with Collar Chain Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk 1st Class	10/2003	Prague
Estonia	Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Collar of the Cross	04/1996	Tallinn
France	Légion d'honneur Grand Cross Order of Arts and Letters Commander	03/1990 02/2001	Paris
Germany	Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Special class of the Grand Cross	05/2000	Berlin
Hungary	Order of Merit of Hungary Grand Cross with Chain	09/2001	Prague
India	Gandhi Peace Prize	08/2003	Delhi
Italy	Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Grand Cross with Cordon	04/2002	Rome
Jordan	Order of Hussein ibn' Ali Collar	09/1997	Amman
Latvia	Order of the Three Stars Grand Cross with Collar	08/1999	Prague
Lithuania	Order of Vytautas the Great Grand Cross	09/1999	Prague
Poland	Order of the White Eagle	10/1993	Warsaw
Portugal	Order of Liberty Grand Collar	12/1990	Lisbon
Republic of China	Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon	11/2004	Taipei
Slovakia	Order of the White Double Cross	01/2003	Bratislava
Slovenia	The Golden honorary Medal of Freedom	11/1993	Ljubljana
Spain	Order of Isabella the Catholic Grand Cross with Collar	07/1995	Prague
Turkey	National Decoration of Republic of Turkey	10/2000	Ankara
Ukraine	Order of Yaroslav the Wise	10/2006	Prague
United Kingdom	Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross (Civil Division)	03/1996	Prague
USA	Presidential Medal of Freedom	07/2003	Washington D.C.
Uruguay	Medal of the Republic	09/1996	Montevideo

His Writings

Havel with American poet, Hedwig Gorski

Václav Havel was a talented writer. He wrote many different kinds of works, including poetry, plays, and non-fiction books.

Collections of Poetry

Čtyři rané básně
Záchvěvy I & II, 1954
První úpisy, 1955
Prostory a časy (poesie), 1956
Na okraji jara (cyklus básní), 1956
Anticodes, (Antikódy)

Plays He Wrote

Motormorphosis 1960
An Evening with the Family, 1960, (Rodinný večer)
The Garden Party (Zahradní slavnost), 1963
The Memorandum, 1965, (Vyrozumění)
The Increased Difficulty of Concentration, 1968, (Ztížená možnost soustředění)
Butterfly on the Antenna, 1968, (Motýl na anténě)
Guardian Angel, 1968, (Strážný anděl)
Conspirators, 1971, (Spiklenci)
The Beggar's Opera, 1975, (Žebrácká opera)
Unveiling, 1975, (Vernisáž)
Audience, 1975, (Audience) - a Vanӗk play
Mountain Hotel 1976, (Horský hotel)
Protest, 1978, (Protest) - a Vanӗk play
Mistake, 1983, (Chyba) - a Vanӗk play
Largo desolato 1984, (Largo desolato)
Temptation, 1985, (Pokoušení)
Redevelopment, 1987, (Asanace)
Tomorrow, 1988, (Zítra to spustíme)
Leaving (Odcházení), 2007

Non-Fiction Books

The Power of the Powerless (1985) [Includes 1978 titular essay.]
Living in Truth (1986)
Letters to Olga (Dopisy Olze) (1988)
Disturbing the Peace (1991)
Open Letters (1991)
Summer Meditations (1992/93)
Towards a Civil Society (Letní přemítání) (1994)
The Art of the Impossible (1998)
To the Castle and Back (2007)

Images for kids

Havel in 1965
The Memorandum by the Ljubljana Drama Theatre in 1969
Havel embraces the former communist leader Alexander Dubček at a meeting in the Laterna Magika theatre in Prague on 24 November 1989
Havel, along with Bill Clinton, King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Simone Veil in 2000
In his post-presidency Havel focused on European affairs.
A large tapestry of Václav Havel with the caption Havel Forever was unveiled on Wenceslas Square on 17 November 2014, the 25th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.
Václav Havel Square in Prague, 2016
Václav Havel photograph on the fountain in Zagreb, Croatia