Rita Klímová
Encyclopedia
Rita Klímová, née Rita Budinova (10 December 1931-30 December 1993) was a Czech
economist and politician. She was Czechoslovakia
's last ambassador to the United States
before that country's breakup in 1992
.
. Her father was Stanislav Budin, a prominent Communist writer who used the pen name Batya Bat. Her family fled to the United States not long after Nazi Germany
invaded Czechoslovakia
in 1938. She spent most of her youth in New York City
and returned to Czechoslovakia after World War II
to finish her education.
in 1948. While still a university student, she took a job in a factory in order to get closer to the working class. Also while still in school, she married the intellectual Zdeněk Mlynář
.
After graduation, she rose high in the academic world, becoming an economics lecturer at Charles University. Initially a strict Stalinist, she helped purge many of her more liberal colleagues from Charles University during the 1950s and early 1960s. However, during the Prague Spring
of 1968, she was very attracted to Alexander Dubcek
's reform program and helped supply inside information to the Western media. She continued to support reform after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
, and was fired from her university post in 1968 and expelled from the party in 1970.
era. She eventually found work as a translator, but lost that job in 1977 after her father, who had also become disillusioned with Communism, signed Charter 77
. Years later, she said that she wanted to sign as well, but Mlynář (who had divorced her in 1967) told her they didn't want her signature.
During the 1970s and 1980s, she became one of the more prominent Czechoslovak dissidents, and one of the main contacts between the dissidents and the Western media. She frequently hosted meetings of dissident economists in her apartment. One of the attendees was future Czech prime minister and president Vaclav Klaus
. By this time, she had become convinced of the need to adopt a market economy; she wrote many samizdat
articles on economic matters under the pen name "Adam Kovárc"—Czech for Adam Smith
.
She became a household name during the Velvet Revolution
, when her longtime friend Vaclav Havel
asked her to translate for him. Havel was looking for someone who could convey Civic Forum
's message to English-speaking audiences. He chose Klímová because she spoke perfect American English
(with a marked New York accent), and he thought she'd play very well with American audiences. She was actually the first person to coin the term "Velvet Revolution."
, another longtime friend, asked Klímová to become the new regime's ambassador to the United States, even though she had no diplomatic experience.
During her tenure, she did much to win support for the democratizing regime. She resigned in August 1992, four months before her country's breakup.
not long after taking up her ambassadorial post. She finally died of the disease on December 30, 1993.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
economist and politician. She was Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
's last ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before that country's breakup in 1992
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
.
Early life
Klímová was born in RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Her father was Stanislav Budin, a prominent Communist writer who used the pen name Batya Bat. Her family fled to the United States not long after Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
in 1938. She spent most of her youth in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and returned to Czechoslovakia after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to finish her education.
Academic career
Like many Central Europeans of her generation, Klímová was initially an ardent Communist. She joined the Communist Party of CzechoslovakiaCommunist Party of Czechoslovakia
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, in Czech and in Slovak: Komunistická strana Československa was a Communist and Marxist-Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992....
in 1948. While still a university student, she took a job in a factory in order to get closer to the working class. Also while still in school, she married the intellectual Zdeněk Mlynář
Zdenek Mlynár
Zdeněk Mlynář was a Czech intellectual who went against the grain during a critical time in the development of Eastern European political history. Mlynář wrote the noteworthy political manifesto “Towards a Democratic Political Organization of Society” which was released on May 5, 1968, at the...
.
After graduation, she rose high in the academic world, becoming an economics lecturer at Charles University. Initially a strict Stalinist, she helped purge many of her more liberal colleagues from Charles University during the 1950s and early 1960s. However, during the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
of 1968, she was very attracted to Alexander Dubcek
Alexander Dubcek
Alexander Dubček , also known as Dikita, was a Slovak politician and briefly leader of Czechoslovakia , famous for his attempt to reform the communist regime during the Prague Spring...
's reform program and helped supply inside information to the Western media. She continued to support reform after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
, and was fired from her university post in 1968 and expelled from the party in 1970.
Dissident
Like many prominent academics who supported the Prague Spring, Klímová found it all but impossible to have a livelihood for much of the NormalizationNormalization (Czechoslovakia)
In the history of Czechoslovakia, normalization is a name commonly given to the period 1969 to about 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before the reform period led by Alexander Dubček , first of all, the firm rule of the Communist Party of...
era. She eventually found work as a translator, but lost that job in 1977 after her father, who had also become disillusioned with Communism, signed Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
. Years later, she said that she wanted to sign as well, but Mlynář (who had divorced her in 1967) told her they didn't want her signature.
During the 1970s and 1980s, she became one of the more prominent Czechoslovak dissidents, and one of the main contacts between the dissidents and the Western media. She frequently hosted meetings of dissident economists in her apartment. One of the attendees was future Czech prime minister and president Vaclav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
. By this time, she had become convinced of the need to adopt a market economy; she wrote many samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
articles on economic matters under the pen name "Adam Kovárc"—Czech for Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
.
She became a household name during the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
, when her longtime friend Vaclav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
asked her to translate for him. Havel was looking for someone who could convey Civic Forum
Civic Forum
The Civic Forum was a political movement in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, established during the Velvet Revolution in 1989...
's message to English-speaking audiences. He chose Klímová because she spoke perfect American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
(with a marked New York accent), and he thought she'd play very well with American audiences. She was actually the first person to coin the term "Velvet Revolution."
Ambassador to the United States
Just months after the collapse of the Communist regime, newly sworn-in Foreign Minister Jiří DienstbierJiří Dienstbier
Jiří Dienstbier was a Czech politician and journalist. He was one of Czechoslovakia's most respected foreign correspondent before being fired after the Prague Spring. Unable to have a livelihood as a journalist, he worked as a janitor for the next two decades...
, another longtime friend, asked Klímová to become the new regime's ambassador to the United States, even though she had no diplomatic experience.
During her tenure, she did much to win support for the democratizing regime. She resigned in August 1992, four months before her country's breakup.
Death
Klímová was diagnosed with leukemiaLeukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
not long after taking up her ambassadorial post. She finally died of the disease on December 30, 1993.