Publication details
Fenomén Václav Klaus. Politická biografie
| Title in English | The Phenomenon of Václav Klaus. Political biography |
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| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Monograph |
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| Description | No politician – except for Václav Havel – has had such strong impact on Czech politics after 1989 as Václav Klaus. His career can be viewed as a remarkable image of extraordinary ability to gain power and of strong will in the struggle for political survival. No other Czech politician has been provoking such opposition or, on the contrary, gaining such ardent admiration. No other Czech politician is nowadays so visible outside the Czech Republic. All this combined forms the remarkable “phenomenon of Václav Klaus”. The book focuses mainly on Klaus’ political career. It maps his steep rise after the Velvet Revolution, the skilful strategy that gave him the dominant position in Czech politics in 1990s, and his time in power and the subsequent fall connected with looking for ways out of political traps. Special attention has been paid to some crucial historical moments, such as Klaus’ role in splitting Czechoslovakia or in promoting voucher privatization. We also look at his relation with Václav Havel, his long-time political opponent. The book also describes Klaus’ presidency, including his relation to individual cabinets and the solutions of government crises. The insight into his political career is complemented with outlines of some of the key aspects of his thinking, such as the sharp criticism of EU or the fight against civil partnership. The bonus of the book is that it provides a clear summary of more than two decades of Czech politics after 1989 that formed the background of Václav Klaus’ successful career. |